Glass .. BX5"(3 9 
Book 



•I 



I 



rt ft- A 



THE 



LIFE AND REMAINS 



OF THE 



REV. ROBERT HOUSMAN, A.B. 



THE FOUNDER, AND FOR ABOVE FORTY YEARS THE INCUMBENT MINISTER 
OF ST. ANNE'S, LANCASTER; AND FORMERLY CURATE TO THE 
REV. T. ROBINSON, M.A., OF LEICESTER. 




ROBERT FLETCHER HOUSMAN, ESQ. 




LONDON: 

SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND CO. ; 
HATCHARD AND SON; JAMES NISBET AND CO.; AND 
L. AND G. SEELEY. 



1841. 



) 



LANCASTER: PRINTED BY L. AND R. WILLAN. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The peculiarity observable in the paging of this 
volume, in which Roman numerals are appropriated to 
the larger portion of the work, arises from the un- 
voidable circumstance of the Sermons having been 
ut to press before the Life, and at a time when 
the probable length of the memoir could not be ascer- 
tained. 



PREFACE. 



The following pages contain a somewhat extended 
memoir of the life and opinions of one, to whose faith- 
ful and long-protracted ministry of the Gospel of the 
grace of God, unusually abundant measures of divine 
favour were awarded. They possess but little of what 
is popularly understood by the word incident ; nor is it 
necessary, to a fulfilment of the proper end of biography, 
that they should possess more. The real object of 
biography, as distinguished from general history, is to 
enlarge our acquaintance with specific modifications of 
our common nature, by laying before us, with as much 
minuteness and fidelity as may be, the inner movements, 
the essential principles, the whole moral progress, and the 
whole moral portraiture, of an individual mind. In 
comparison with this object, and if separated from it, 
mere facts and events, however startling or attractive, 
shrink into utter and absolute insignificance. Facts 
and events have nothing but a relative importance. 
They are important, only in proportion as they tell 
upon the invisible and deathless being within us; in 



Vi PREFACE. 

proportion as they help to create or consolidate habits, 
to mould and establish character, and to put upon it 
the final seal of its eternal destiny. How awfully 
momentous, when the delusive mists of time are dissi- 
pated, may the smallest occurrences be discovered to 
have been! — how perfectly trivial and how transitory 
the dominion of the greatest! 



Lune Bank, Lancaster, 
18th Jan. 1841. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

Life ix — ccclxxx 

Sermon 

I. The principal doctrines of the Gospel : Acts xx. 27 10 

II. Jesus, the Way to Life : John xiv. 6 35 

III. The principles and extent of Christian Benevolence : Gal. v. 6 . 57 

IV. The New Creation : Isaiah xli. 20 73 

V. The value and use of time: Ephes. v. 16 93 

VI. On Prayer: Matt. vii. 11 110 

VII. The Influences of the Holy Spirit: Ezekiel xxxvi. 27 .... 129 

VIII. Salvation by Grace: Ephes. ii. 8 149 

IX. The day of small things : Zechariah iv. 10 166 

X. The privileges and duty of Believers : Hosea xiv. 4 177 

XI. The Nature of Repentance exemplified (in five parts) : Part I. Psalm 

li. 1. 2. 3 186 

XII. Part II. Psalm li. 4 201 

XIII. Part III. Psalm li. 5 214 

XIV. Part IV. Psalm li. 6. 7 229 

XV. Part V. Psalm li. 8. 9. 10 ..... 244 

XVI. Self-Examination : II. Cor. xiii. 5 , . . 259 

XVII. None but Christ : I. Cor. i. 23 268 



ERRATA. 



xxiii. line 14 from bottom, for " If it would," read " If it would not," 

xliii. line 17 from bottom, for "heighth" read "height." 

lxxxiii. line I, for " Susan listened with deep attention to all that she had 

heard," read " Susan had listened with deep attention to all that she heard." 
cviii. note. The Memoir of Mrs. Dawson was edited, not written, by the 

Rev. W. C. Wilson, who supplied an interesting introductory essay, 
ccxcvii. line 9. for " shrunk" read " shrank.'' 
ccclxvi. line 9. after " haste" omit the comma. 



SOME ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE 

OF THE 

REV. ROBERT HOUSMAN. 



The Rev. Robert Housman was born at Skerton, 
near Lancaster, on the 25th of February, 1759, in the 
house in which these lines are written; the property 
having belonged to his father's family for above three 
centuries. He was educated at the Free Grammar 
School in Lancaster, under the tuition of the Rev. 
James Watson; and about the age of fourteen was 
bound apprentice to Mr. Barrow, a surgeon, who after- 
wards obtained a Scotch diploma, and practised as a 
Physician. The pursuit of surgery being, however, 
on many accounts extremely offensive to him, Mr. 
Housman, previous to the expiration of his apprentice- 
ship, abandoned the idea of entering the medical pro- 
fession — directed his attention to the Church — and 
with a view to prepare for the labours of the University, 
again placed himself under the able tuition of Mr. 
Watson, with whom he remained until his departure 
for Cambridge. During this period of his life he pro- 
duced several pieces of poetry, which were collected 
into a manuscript volume, now the property of his 
nephew, the Rev. William Higgin, A. M., Rector of 
Roscrea, and Vicar-General of the Diocese of Killaloe. 

b 



X 



THE LIFE OF 



These poems display considerable elegance of mind, 
and might perhaps justify a persuasion that "the vision 
and the faculty divine" were his. The taste which 
thus exhibited itself in the season of youth, was 
occasionally indulged, for the gratification of particular 
friends, in later years. 

What the circumstances were which startled him 
from a gay and careless mode of life — or whether, as 
is probable, the transition was effected by insensible 
degrees — I have not been able to learn; but it was 
during a solitary walk near Halton, on the western 
banks of the river Lune, one fine Good Friday, that 
the idea of consecrating his life and energies to the 
office of the Ministry, first seriously entered the mind 
of this eminent servant of Jesus Christ. For some 
time he continued pacing slowly to and fro, considering 
and re-considering his design; at length, retiring to 
one of the small and pleasant woods which beautify 
that most beautiful district of the vicinity of Lancaster, 
he threw himself on his knees upon the grass — and 
there, with no eye to see him but the omniscient eye 
that never sleepeth, implored God to bless his pious 
resolutions, and to fit him for the work he had de- 
termined to do. The undertaking thus begun, was 
continued and ended in the same spirit of self-dedication 
and trust. Prayer, with which he commenced his 
long and active career of goodness, was the all-prevailing 
means of his subsequent success. 

His parents, especially his father, resolutely opposed 
the project; he as resolutely entertained it. At length, 
his second sister stepped in to mediate, and happily 
succeeded in adjusting the difference. Both his parents 
lived to hear him preach, to derive comfort from his 
ministrations, and to rejoice that their objections had 
been overruled. 



THE REV. It. HOUSMAN. 



xi 



Upon leaving Mr. Watson he repaired to Cambridge, 
having been entered of St. John's as a Sizer, on the 
17th of March, 1780. From Cambridge, whither he 
went in the following October, he addressed his parents 
in a long letter, containing a circumstantial account of 
his pilgrimage from Skerton. Of this letter, which 
has been carefully preserved, I am enabled to present 
a copy. A journey of above two hundred miles, parti- 
cularly to a young man bent upon economizing, was no 
light undertaking sixty years ago; — the reader must 
remember this, when the minuteness of the subjoined 
details, and the undue importance attached to them, 
are soliciting a smile. 

Cambridge, St John's, October 12th, 1780. 

HONOURED PARENTS, 

On Tuesday afternoon about three o'clock I arrived 
here, after a variety of methods of conveyance. I 
wrote from Buxton in such a hurry that I think the 
scrawl would be scarcely legible. I will therefore 
give you a journal of my motions since my departure 
from Skerton. I was attended out of Lancaster by 
Messrs. Clarkson, Barrow, Bell, and Hargreaves. The 
two latter left us at the fifth mile-stone ; the others 
proceeded with me to Garstang, where we had a com- 
fortable dish of coffee. I parted with them a little 
after nine o'clock, when I went on to Preston. I 
there got a snack, baited my horse, and steered my 
course for West Houghton, where I arrived before five 
o'clock. Mr. Chisenhale gave me a most welcome 
reception. I there inquired whether or no Mrs. Law- 
son was at Bolton: I was informed she was not; and 
the next day not proving fine, Mr. Chisenhale advised 
me not to go to Sharpies, but to rest myself and horse. 
I followed his advice; and on Saturday morning about 



xii 



THE LIFE OF 



seven o'clock set forward again. I did not stop at 
Manchester, but proceeded directly for Stockport, where 
I dined. I was then overtaken by Mr. Satterthwaite, 
with whom I went on to Buxton, having stopped about 
an hour and a half at Disley. At Buxton I made 
inquiry about the coach ; when, to my surprise and 
satisfaction, I was informed that one set forward from 
thence on Sunday. I could not then take a place, as 
the passengers from Manchester always have the pre- 
ference. The coach arrived at Buxton about ten 
o'clock on Sunday morning, quite full. As the day 
was very fine I mounted the top of the coach to Derby, 
which place we reached about four o'clock. We dined ; 
and night coming on, and there being then a vacancy 
in the coach, I took an inside seat to Harborough. 
We got to Leicester at ten o'clock, where we supped, 
and got to bed a little after eleven. I believe it 
would have been much better had we never gone to 
bed, for we were roused before three. Being called 
up at that early hour, I was rather squeamish when I 
entered the coach, which continued all the way to Har- 
borough, where we arrived at six in the morning. I 
there went to bed, and slept soundly four hours, which 
quite recruited me. I then followed Mr. Hutton's 
directions, and inquired if I could get a horse from 
thence to Cambridge. I was informed I could not. 
As it is a bye-road, no Post goes that way; and the 
Leicester Carrier would be a week upon the road. 
There were now only three expedients; one was, to 
take post-horses, which were very expensive, it being 
eightpence a mile travelling that way since the addi- 
tional duty ; the other was, to go to London on the 
outside, and from thence to Cambridge in the same 
manner, which would have cost a guinea; and the 
other was- — walking, and taking the advantage of inci- 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xiii 



dents. I therefore set forward on foot, about half-past 
eleven. I had not gone three miles before I overtook 
a boy on horseback. I offered him sixpence to let 
me ride his horse to Kettering, which was eight miles 
further. He readily accepted my proposal. I set 
forward from Kettering about two o'clock, and walked 
thirteen miles in about four hours. I got a snug bed 
at a country inn, from whence I proceeded to Hunting- 
don at seven o'clock in the morning; I reached Hun- 
tingdon, which was thirteen miles distant at eleven 
o'clock. I stayed there about an hour; and as I was, 
contrary to my expectations, scarcely any fatigued, and 
only sixteen miles from Cambridge, I thought I could 
perform it with ease. I had walked about five miles 
when I was overtaken by a gentleman in a single horse 
Chair. He very politely asked me to get into his Chair, 
which I did, and rode a few miles, as far as his road 
lay towards Cambridge. I was immediately after this 
overtaken by a returned post-chaise ; I bargained with 
the post-boy for a passage, and I entered this town in 
state. Having got my hair dressed, and being in 
tolerable trim, I went directly to Mr. Pearce, who 
received me very kindly. He asked me to breakfast 
with him the next morning, and then put me into my 
rooms. I cannot yet give you an exact account of 
what expenses I shall be at; but after the first quarter 
I think it will be very reasonable, by following a plan 
of economy. I however can't think I shall want any 
money this some time, though I have deposited £10 
in my Tutor's hands. One advantage has attended my 
coming up exactly at this time. I have spared a 
good deal of money in getting a second-hand gown and 
surplice. A gown [when new] costs £4. 10s. Od. I 
have got] a very good one for 10s. The cost of a 
surplice is £1. 10s. Od. I have got one, bands and 



xiv 



THE LIFE OF 



all, for 16s. Mr. Pearce has very obligingly made 
me a present of a cap, which would have cost me 
10s. 6d. My expenses in coming from Skerton to 
Cambridge are £2. Is. Od. When I write again I 
shall be able to give you a more exact account of 
every particular. At the quarter end I will send 
down the bills for your inspection. In the meanwhile 
I shall by my conduct endeavour to deserve that 
affection which I have always largely experienced, and 
which will ever fill, with love and duty towards his 
parents, the mind of 

Robert Housman. 
P.S. — I should wish to hear from you soon. My 
love to brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, &c. 
&c. &c. 

On Sunday the 14th of October, 1781, not much 
more than a year after his arrival at Cambridge, he 
was admitted to Deacon's Orders, at a general ordina- 
tion at Bishopthorpe, by Markham, Archbishop of 
York; and became curate to the Rev. Mr. Croft, Vicar 
of Grargrave, in Yorkshire. Mr. Croft, who had been 
a private pupil of Grarrick's, with a view to the theatri- 
cal profession, was justly esteemed one of the finest 
readers in England ; and it is to the advantages enjoyed 
by Mr. Housman during his residence at Gargrave, 
that the excellence of his own mode of reading, and 
the well-known propriety of his pulpit manner, may 
be in part at least referred. "In these respects," 
the editor of the Christian Guardian observes, "he 
was pre-eminent." They who remember what the late 
venerable pastor of St. Anne's was twenty or thirty 
years ago, or indeed at a much more recent period, 
(for, though manifestly impaired, his voice and strength 
were equal to considerable exertion, until within a short 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



XV 



time of his retirement from the Incumbency) will bear 
ready testimony to the finished beauty of his performance 
of the established services of the Church of England, 
and to the chaste and peculiarly impressive delivery of 
his ministerial addresses. Whatever advantages he 
might fail to obtain at Gargrave, it was certainly at 
Gargrave that he became skilled in the very important 
art of elocution.* 

The state of his mind when he contracted the un- 
speakably solemn responsibilities of his sacred office, 
was the state of thousands. He mistook decency for 
devotion, and a scrupulous avoidance of overt acts of 
evil for vital Christianity. He was, in fact, though 
perfectly conscientious, and, if tested by the world's 
standards, unexceptionably moral, totally unacquainted 
with the design, the character, and the power of the 
Gospel, as well as with the full extent and spirituality 
of the Law. "How little," he said to me in 1837, 
"did I know, either of myself or others — how little 
of the nature of sin, or the nature of holiness — when 
I entered the church! I had always felt an earnest 
wish to live a life of freedom from sin — an earnest 
wish to be what is called good; and I vainly fancied 
that the engagements of the ministry would afford not 
only ample, facilities but adequate securities for the 
accomplishment of my desires. What deplorable igno- 
rance! I knew nothing of the human heart. I had 
to learn that the root of sin lies there; and that unless 
that be changed, which it never can be except by the 
renewing energies of the Holy Ghost, the best situation 
is worthless. There is, depend upon it, only one safe 

* " The importance of enunciation and delivery," says Mr. Simeon, (see 
Christian Observer for January, 1837,) "is not at all appreciated as it ought to 
be. Pride and ignorance keep almost all, whether ministers or students, awfully 
in the dark on this subject." 



THE LIFE OF 



and suitable situation for all of us — the foot of the 
Cross. Of the Cross I knew nothing but the name." 
— In 1830 he had made a kindred statement; the 
statement is notoriously consistent with a most reputa- 
ble performance of the greater and the lesser duties of 
life. " I lived/' he says, " through many a guilty 
year, as ignorant of the true character of the Saviour, 
as the beasts that perish; and as devoid of any right 
affection towards him, as Satan himself. But patience 
reigned, and the curse did not come upon me. And 
grace has reigned; and I believe, on the evidence of 
feelings that cannot betray me, that now the very first 
desire of my soul habitually is this — to perceive, by a 
realizing faith, the Saviour's glory, to find his presence 
near, and to taste that he is gracious. What an ad- 
vantage it is when young people seek the Lord early /" 

From Gargrave (but when I am unable to say) Mr. 
Housman returned to Cambridge, where he received 
Priest's orders from the hands of Hinchcliffe, Bishop 
of Peterborough, on the 26th of October 1783, and in 
the immediate neighbourhood of which place he held a 
small curacy. During this his second residence at 
Cambridge, he contracted a very close and permanent 
intimacy with the Bev. Charles Simeon, by whom he 
was introduced to a highly respectable family of Inde- 
pendent Dissenters, of the name of Audley, one of the 
members of which, a young, beautiful, well educated, 
and pious woman, became, in the beginning of 1785, 
his wife. By this marriage Mr. Housman had one 
son, whose birth the mother did not survive many 
weeks. She was mercifully spared the endurance of 
much and poignant sorrow ; but she had a spirit and 
a faith that would have sustained her under the 
severest shocks. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. xvii 

Of Mrs. Housman's brother, Mr, John Audley, an 
interesting and instructive memoir appeared in the 
Congregational Magazine for August 1827. He was 
a man of respectable talents, profound piety, diffusive 
benevolence, and untiring activity in the service of 
Jesus Christ ; and in the year 1790, having for several 
previous years occasionally dispensed the word of God 
in Cambridge and the adjacent villages, he received 
the sanction of the church with which he was con- 
nected, for exercising his gifts in the public ministry 
of the Gospel. At what places, or to what extent, he 
was at first engaged in doing so, cannot now be ascer- 
tained, nor is it distinctly known whether he ever pro- 
posed settling as the stated pastor of any society; 
though I think I have heard, from the lips of one 
who knew and respected him, that he only contem- 
plated officiating as opportunities might arise requiring 
his assistance. Between Mr. Audley and Mrs. Hous- 
man the warmest attachment subsisted; her death im- 
pressed him powerfully ; and in a diary which has been 
preserved, bearing date January 1786, he begs, among 
other blessings, " a sanctified use of the affecting 
providence." Mr. Audley published, in 1784, an 
abridgment of John Howe's "Self-Dedication," and 
Dr. Grosvenor's Sermon on "The Temper of Jesus," 
to which he prefixed brief lives of the authors. He 
also published a new and corrected edition of "An 
Appeal to Parliament, or Sion's plea against the Pre- 
lacie," by the father of Archbishop Leighton ; and 
in 1804, "A Sermon on Harvest, or an address 
to Farmers, Reapers, and Gleaners," founded on Ruth 
ii. 4. His last work was a short memoir of the Rev. 
Coxe Feary, of Bluntisham. Mr. Audley died the 
death of the righteous in 1826, in the seventy-seventh 
year of his age. 

c 



XV111 



THE LIFE OF 



Mr. Housman took his degree of Bachelor of Arts 
in 1784. Beyond this degree he never proceeded. 

Not long before his union with Miss Audley, his 
zeal in promulgating what he considered the essential 
doctrines of religion, deprived him of the emolument 
and honour of a Fellowship of St. John's. A sermon 
which he preached in Trinity Church was the cause 
of detennining against him those in whom the patronage 
resided. 

Although, in the choice of a profession, Mr. Hous- 
man, as we have seen, had been actuated by considera- 
tions of an exclusively religious character, it was not 
until after his return to Cambridge in 1783, that he 
became attached to what are distinctively designated 
evangelical principles. To his intimacy with the Rev. 
Charles Simeon, the origin of this attachment is to be 
unreservedly ascribed. He was Mr. Simeon's first 
convert, and was playfully called by him his "eldest 
son." Whilst preparing to take his degree in 1784, 
he accepted an invitation from his affectionate and 
valuable friend, to share with him his college chambers 
at King's — St. John's being full ; here he resided for 
upwards of three months, in the enjoyment of intellec- 
tual and spiritual advantages, the influence and worth 
of which it is perhaps impossible to compute. To 
Mr. Simeon's example, conversation, and advice, he 
used to refer, to the end of life, in terms of fervent 
gratitude. "Never," he has said, "did I see such 
consistency and reality of devotion, such warmth of 
piety, such zeal, such love. Never did I see one who 
abounded so much in prayer. I owe that great and 
holy man a debt which never can be cancelled." To 
Mr. Simeon he was also indebted for the privilege of 
a personal acquaintance with the venerable and highly- 
gifted Henry Venn, and was frequently of the party 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xix 



of students and young ministers who met for purposes 
of religious instruction at the house of that distin- 
guished and heroic saint at Yelling. Several years 
afterwards (in 1817), on introducing Mr. Simeon to a 
crowded congregation in the Sunday School of St. 
Anne's, Mr. Housman took occasion to speak of his old 
and constant friend as "the instrument of bringing 
him to a knowledge of the truth;" and in a sermon of 
1829, to which more particular reference will be made 
in a future page, he mentions him as " one from whom, 
in the days of his youth, he derived advantages of 
eternal moment." To his preaching before the close 
of 1783, he has reverted in the following very in- 
teresting passage in a manuscript of the date of 1811 : — 
t( The preaching of truth is owned of God ; the pub- 
lication of error is left to itself. We read of a divine 
power and blessing accompanying the preaching of the 
Gospel. It is written — f My word shall not return to 
me void.' 'Lo! I am with you always, even unto 
the end of the world.' The Gospel came to the Thes- 
salonians, f not in word only, but in power;' and 
in every instance in which it bringeth salvation, it 
bringeth it through the power of God applying the 
word to the soul. Now the Lord will never set his 
seal to error; but he will set his seal to truth. I 
meddle not with others, but I may speak of myself. 
For upwards of two years after I entered the ministry, 
I preached mere moral discourses. I declaimed against 
sin; I recommended virtue; and I had the blindness 
and boldness to tell the people, that where they fell 
short, Christ would make up defects. Do you ask 
what was the effect produced'? I answer — none. In 
no instance, and in no degree, was any ignorance re- 
moved, or any soul benefitted. But when, through 
the grace of God, I saw clearly the nature of the 



XX 



THE LIFE OF 



Gospel of Christ, and was enabled simply to preach 
i% effects soon followed: — effects have always followed, 
wherever I have been placed. In a greater or a less 
degree, the blind have received their sight ; drunkards 
have become sober ; profligates have learned to pray ; 
the miserable have found peace; and immortal beings 
have found a blessed immortality. I have seen hun- 
dreds, perhaps thousands, drawing near to their last 
hour. Where Gospel-principles have been unknown 
or unfelt, I never saw an instance of that peace, in 
the trying moment, of which the Scripture speaks. 
But where Christ has been known, trusted, loved, 
I have seen more than peace. I have seen Death 
deprived of its sting, and the Grave deprived of its 
victory. I have seen sunshine and joy brighten the 
dying countenance; and the saint of God eager to be 
gone, to sing his praises before the Throne for ever. 
These effects, exactly agreeing with what the God of 
Truth promises in his word, are, I am confident, a 
stronger proof of what is truth, than if an Angel were 
to appear and to declare it." 

The change of which mention is made in the early 
part of this paragraph has reference to the worth of 
human actions, and is most important. Without in 
any wise supposing the standard of holiness to be 
lowered, or the demands of the Universal Lawgiver 
relaxed, Mr. Housman was led, by Mr. Simeon's power- 
ful expositions of divine truth, to see, with a distinct- 
ness of vision which neither time nor experience im- 
paired, that the righteousness of man, however eminent, 
is perfectly inadequate to establish, even in the very 
smallest degree, a title to present justification and to 
final and future bliss; — that its value consists, in fact, 
in its being an evidence of a state of heart which 
utterly excludes and rejects the idea of any such efficacy 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xxi 



and claim. From having relied,, for acceptance with 
God, upon the sufficiency of human merit in part, he 
was brought to depend upon the infinite sacrifice 
and eternal merit of Christ alone. Good works, he 
perceived, could neither constitute, nor tend to consti- 
tute, a passport to heaven; but though they could not 
do this, they were indispensable as signs or tokens of 
a meetness for its enjoyment. "Works that are really 
good ones," he has said, "are neither more nor less 
than holiness in action; and holiness, without which, 
we are distinctly told, no man shall see the Lord, 
consists of principles, dispositions, and affections, spring- 
ing from the grateful love of a Divine Redeemer and 
a pardoning God." He was quite as far from teaching 
antinomianism as self-redemption ; — full and free justifi- 
cation, by faith in the atoning death of Christ, imply- 
ing, to his mind, necessarily, the actual and habitual 
experience of the living power of Jesus. The follow- 
ing passage, extracted from a mutilated manuscript of 
the year 1797, (the year after his final settlement in 
Lancaster) expresses very beautifully his sense of the 
importance of conformity to the spirit of Christ. (t e My 
sheep,' says the Redeemer, 'hear my voice, and I 
know them, and they follow me.' e I have given you 
an example,' he elsewhere says. And what an example 
is proposed to their love and imitation! What good 
will to man — what zeal for God — what patience and 
meekness — what a holy contempt of earthly honours — 
what a steady pursuit of the work given him, and of 
the joy set before him. The people of Christ look 
at his bright character, and admire; and while they 
look and admire, their feelings, in their better moments, 
would be expressed by the following prayer; 'Lord 
of all power and might, oh mould us into the image 
of thy beloved Son. While we trust in his Cross, 



xxii 



THE LIFE OF 



may we walk in his steps. While we rejoice in hope, 
may our hope purify. May we be a peculiar people, 
saved by grace, and zealous of good works.' Does this 
prayer answer to your desires, and suit your feelings'? 
Are you longing for universal holiness, as well as for 
pardoning mercy? — for conformity to the image of 
Christ, as well as for redemption through his blood? 
If you are, and if you are sincerely praying for the 
blessing, the marks of the flock are upon you. But 
if it be no part of your prayer and concern to walk 
as Christ walked, you want a very decisive evidence 
that you belong to his fold." 
In another manuscript; — 

" We inquire, and properly inquire, what are the 
doctrines which the Saviour taught ; what is the nature 
and extent of the salvation wrought out by the decease 
which he accomplished at Jerusalem ; what is the faith 
which receives the atonement, and which unites the 
soul to the true and living vine. These are questions 
of deep and eternal moment ; to be studied upon our 
knees, and taught us by the blessed Spirit of God. 
But they who profess to have a hope towards God, 
through the redemption of the Cross of Christ, have 
another question of deep and eternal moment to ask — 
'What were the tempers of Christ?' They were the 
tempers of meekness and kindness, of long-suffering 
and benevolence, of compassion and forgiveness of in- 
juries, of humility the most profound, and of tenderness 
unspeakable. Through every part of his history there 
shines a bright light of mercy, above the brightness 
of the sun. He went about doing good; healing 
diseases; giving sight to the blind; casting out devils; 
answering prayers ; remitting sins ; weeping at the 
grave of a friend; weeping over the murderous city. 
Consider his words of kindness, his miracles of kind- 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xxiii 



ness, his tears of kindness. Lay them seriously to 
heart. You profess the gospel of love; do you do 
more than profess it"? Do you feel anything truly of 
the power of this holy and heavenly affection ? Oh ! 
be zealous of the tempers of Christ, as well as of his 
doctrines. Let his will be as dear to you as his 
redemption." 

And elsewhere; — 

"There will be no going to Heaven without a taste 
or relish for the peculiar happiness of Heaven. It is 
a vast change of situation, for which a vast meetness 
of disposition is indispensable. ( Present with the 
Lord' is a compendious expression of the happiness of 
the just made perfect; and unless you can feel, cordi- 
ally and constantly, that in that presence is 'the ful- 
ness of joy,' you have something important yet to learn. 
Are you athirst for the glory of God, for a likeness 
unto Christ *? Would Heaven, in your estimation, 
cease to be Heaven, if there the excellency of Jesus 
were not presented, for the understanding to contem- 
plate, for the heart to love, for the whole soul to 
adore 4 ? If it would, you are not walking as Christ 
walked. Your good acts spring from wrong principles. 
The mind that was in him is not in you. You are 
not partakers of the divine nature" 

One more passage on this interesting subject. It 
reveals, far better than any elaborate exposition, how- 
ever comprehensive and extended, could reveal, the 
grand leading points of Mr. Housman's theology. 

"Nothing but the blood of Christ can save from 
destruction; nothing but the righteousness of Christ 
can give a title to heavenly bliss; nothing but the 
intercession of Christ can make prayers and duties 
accepted; nothing but the grace of Christ can give a 
meetness for the inheritance and the company of 



xxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



Heaven; and nothing but the presence of Christ can 
be the light and joy and glory of the eternal kingdom. 
Without Christ all is darkness, and ruin, and despair." 

This extract exhibits as total a freedom from the 
debasing libertinism of the antinomian, as it does from 
the hollow and crumbling system of the self-depending 
moralist. To the views which it presents, Mr. Hous- 
man remained "faithful unto death." It is the righte- 
ousness of Christ (he taught) that admits; it is the 
righteousness of man, inwrought by the power of Christ, 
that qualifies. Personal holiness is as indispensable as 
the sacrifice of the Saviour; but it is the sacrifice of 
the Saviour alone that is meritorious. 

The mature developement of the principles which 
Simeon and Venn had been the providential instruments 
of planting and fostering in Mr. Housman's mind, must 
be referred to the combined influence of his matrimonial 
alliance, and of the friendly intercourse which he en- 
joyed with some of the most distinguished divines of 
the Church of England, who contributed so importantly, 
seventy or eighty years ago, to rouse her from a slothful 
and pernicious slumber, and to revive the preaching of 
the truth as it is in Jesus. With Newton, Eomaine, 
Berridge, Eiland, and Jones of Creaton, he had re- 
peated opportunities of personally communicating; and 
he frequently recurred with grateful pleasure to the 
profitable hours passed in their society. His more 
intimate friends do not require to be told that his 
familiar discourse was often rendered peculiarly attractive 
by the relation of racy anecdotes of the sayings and 
doings of these the revered instructors of his youth. 

His first meeting with the Rev. John Berridge, the 
eccentric author of "The Christian World Unmasked," 
and "Sion's Songs," was at Creaton (I believe at the 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



XXV 



house of the venerable Thomas Jones), and was made 
remarkable by the following incident. When he 
entered the room in which several eminent ministers 
were assembled, Berridge, who was seated at the further 
end of the apartment in an arm chair, held out his 
hand in a friendly manner to the youthful minister to 
approach him. Mr. Housman took it ; and Mr. Berridge, 
drawing him nearer, rose up and kissed his forehead 
affectionately, exclaiming, in a quaint style of address 
peculiarly his own, "You dont look like one of the 
Devil's children;" and then, after a brief pause, during 
which he surveyed him with profound interest, " Young 
man, you have had a famous pluck; and the name of 
him that plucked you is Holdfast." 

Mr. Housman, who had early learnt to distinguish 
the substance of Christianity from its circumstantial 
abuses, loved and respected the sterling worth of Ber- 
ridge's character as thoroughly as he disliked his evan- 
gelical excesses. The uncouth extravagances of a 
fermentitious faith but ill accorded with the notions of 
one whose piety was calm as well as fervent, and the 
movements of whose mind, both from natural and 
habitual causes, were uniformly tranquil. Indeed, few 
men have been enabled to hit so exactly, or to maintain 
so consistently, the midway point between enthusiasm and 
coldness. He exemplified, in a very uncommon degree, 
the union of " raisedness" and sobriety of soul ; and his 
deliberate predilections were for those aspects of practical 
religion in which elevation and composure most harmo- 
niously appeared. In Mr. Berridge, accordingly, there 
was much that he could not relish.* 

*"The Christian World Unmasked," notwithstanding its numerous faults of 
taste and temper, is a book of great merit. It contains much vigorous thought, 
and some good writing ; but the language is often coarse, and the sentiments 

d 



xxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



During the spring and summer months of 1785, Mr. 
Housman resided with his wife in Lancaster, at the 
Judges' Lodgings, and performed the afternoon service 
at St. John's Chapel on the Sundays. On Wednesday 
evenings a small party of young men, I believe not 
amounting to more than six or eight, belonging to the 
humbler classes, were in the habit of assembling at 
his rooms for purposes of spiritual intercommunion and 
edification. A practice so much at variance with that 
of the Clergy of the place (for prayer-meetings had 
hitherto been restricted to the Dissenters) soon attracted 
the attention, and incurred the reproaches, of the ortho- 
dox. Innovations in ecclesiastical discipline, even 
though manifestly advantageous, are constantly looked 
upon with suspicion, unless originating at head-quarters, 
or at least sanctioned by imposing authority; in the 
present case, having no patronage but that of the God 
of prayer, Mr. Housman's presumptuous introduction 
of an apostolic custom, condemning as it did by impli- 
cation the supineness of the st prudent Peters" in the 
ministry, provoked a mingled sentiment of professional 
and personal indignation. The Bishop was written 
to, but he declined interfering : and the vexatious mal- 
contents were checked in their devices. Mr. Housman, 
meanwhile^ not heedless of the opposition he had 
caused, but undiscouraged by it, proceeded in his holy 
work; and a blessing from on high attended it. 

The sole surviving member of this devout society, 

are often vulgar. Apart from the value of the doctrines which it inculcates, it 
is recommended by a hearty earnestness of manner, at all times agreeable ; and 
by transient but lovely gleams of fancy, which never fail to please. 

In the Memoirs of Lady Huntingdon, (vol. 1, p. 373,) there is an excellent 
letter to Mr. Berridge, from his opulent and pious friend Mr. Thornton. This 
letter is well worth reading. It reflects very strongly upon the buffoonery of 
the Vicar of Everton, who, in his reply, frankly admits the accusation, and 
acknowledges that he was born "with a fool's cap upon his head." 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xxvii 



who had received his first religious convictions through 
its means, informs me, that having read and carefully 
expounded a select portion of the New Testament, Mr. 
Housman's plan upon these occasions was, to invite 
unreserved and general conversation respecting the several 
topics they had been considering. The liberal inter- 
change of opinions and emotions thus judiciously pro- 
vided for, was felt to be productive of great and lasting 
good; impressions being made, and principles ingrafted, 
the salutary influences of which extended through life. 
In these interesting conferences Mrs. Housman bore 
an active part. My informant describes her as a 
beautiful young woman, grave and pious ; her gentle- 
ness and her affability, he adds, were singularly at- 
tractive. It was her constant practice, at the close of 
the evening's engagements, which usually continued 
about an hour or an hour and a half, to £nter into 
familiar discourse with each of the small congregation; 
to offer a few words of instruction or exhortation suited 
to their respective circumstances and conditions; and, 
on ending, to shake hands with them in a spirit of 
sincere christian equality and friendship. On the 
night of their last meeting, she addressed them with 
affectionate earnestness ; intreating them, as they 
valued the temporal and eternal prosperity of their 
souls, to take heed and walk circumspectly, to be dili- 
gent, stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the 
work of the Lord, that they might be found of him 
in peace, without spot, and blameless. To this end 
she counselled, in a manner the most solemn, a fre- 
quent assembling of themselves together for purposes 
of praise and prayer; and, in taking leave, which she 
did under the effect of strong excitement, presented 
them with her own private copy of Watts's Psalms and 
Hymns, in the hope, she added, that it might be pre- 



xxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



served, if they never met again, as a memento of 
spiritual fellowship and regard. The next morning, 
accompanied by her husband, she left Lancaster for 
ever. 

In the course of one of the familiar conversations 
alluded to in the foregoing paragraph, Mr. Housman's 
opinions on a still contested point of divinity were 
distinctly expressed. Being requested to state his views 
on the subject of a sensible evidence of acceptance 
with Grod, his reply was this ; "William," he exclaimed, 
"I would venture my soul upon the truth of it." I 
question whether he would have said as much in later 
life, but I am sure he held the conviction no less 
positively; and few men have had greater reason to 
hold it. I ought, however, to add, and many of the 
letters in the following pages confirm the statement, 
that whilst he uncompromisingly maintained the fact 
of a direct witnessing of the Holy Spirit with the 
spirit of man (a persuasion explicitly announced in his 
important communication to Mr. Ludlam*) he was far 
from insisting upon the indispensableness of such inter- 
nal testimony at all times and under all circumstances. 
A different policy has led many a pilgrim to the Slough 
of Despond, and left him there. It should be observed 
also, that in order to guard against delusion, he in- 
variably connected the doctrine of a divinely attested 
assurance of pardon and adoption, with that of the 
witnessing of our own spirit, indicated by the habitual 
manifestation of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, meek- 
ness, gentleness, fidelity, humbleness, and temperance. 
"In what way," he asks, in one of his published 
sermons," are you to expect the high consolation of a 
knowledge of acceptance % Not by sudden impulses; 



* Printed in a future page. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xxix 



not by having the animal feelings powerfully excited; 
not by supposed lights or visions. Look for the rich 
blessings in the way of the Gospel ; by seeking to have 
your inward experience in agreement with the word of 
God. If you find a real self-abhorrence on account of 
your sins; if you are ashamed and grieved that you 
have dishonoured by your iniquity the God of all grace 
and glory; if you are enabled to look simply to the 
Lamb of God to take away your transgressions; if the 
Lord should give you great tenderness of conscience to 
avoid sin,, and the occasions of sin ; if he should implant 
in your soul the love of his name, and of his people, 
and of his ways, and cause, and commandments; you 
will have evidence — solid, scriptural, triumphant evi- 
dence — that the Lord hath put away your sin, and 
that you shall not die." And in a manuscript of 
the year 1812, he thus advises on the same subject. 
"Perhaps you are seeking the manifestation of the 
mercy in a wrong way. You may be expecting to 
receive some sudden and strangely influential impression 
made upon your mind; some text of scripture brought 
with power to your souls ; some joyous feeling, lifting you, 
as it were, above all fears, and placing you in a state of 
rapturous entrancement. I venture to advise you to seek 
the assurance of God's mercy (though I dare not presume 
to say how it may come to you) in a very different 
way. Seek it, by seeking those dispositions of the 
heart which none but the Lord can give; which distin- 
guish the people of God from the people of the world; 
and with which the promises connect everlasting salvation. 
Seek, for instance, by diligence in the means, poverty 
of spirit; a contrite heart; a consciousness that you 
trust in Jesus; a confidence that you really love him; 
a certainty that you prefer his favour before anything 
besides, and that you are unfeignedly endeavouring and 



XXX 



THE LIFE OF 



praying that you may stand perfect and complete in all 
the will of God. These are evidences which cannot 
deceive you : and in proportion as you attain them,, you 
will have solid manifestations, perhaps extraordinary 
manifestations occasionally, of the Lord's special love to 
your souls." 

On the death of his wife, which took place soon 
after they returned to Cambridge in the winter of 1785, 
Mr. Housman revisited Lancashire, and resided with his 
parents for several months. During the earlier part 
of this period he was engaged in supplying the Incum- 
bency of Cat on, and, towards the close of it, again 
officiated^ for at least half a year, as curate of 
St. Johns Chapel in Lancaster. His engagement 
here commenced about the end of 1785, and was 
concluded in the following May. In the Spring of the 
former year he was invited to plead the cause of the 
Charity School for Girls ; and accordingly, on Sunday 
the 1st of May, delivered at St. John's a discourse 
from 1 Cor. x. 31 : " Whatsoever ye do, do all to 
the glory of God." The sermon was published, and 
the profits arising from the sale of it were applied to 
the use of the excellent institution in recommendation 
and support of which it had been preached. 

His farewell sermon at St. John's, in which the 
principal doctrines of the Gospel were enumerated, and 
the necessity of believing them with a true heart was 
proved and enforced, gave great offence. The total 
depravity of man by nature; the absolute inefficacy of 
good works to procure acceptance with God; justifica- 
tion, only through the voluntary sacrifice of Jesus 
Christ; the influences of the Holy Ghost, first to en- 
lighten the understanding, to purify the affections, to 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. XXxi 

renew the will, and then to superintend and controul 
them in the way of holiness and peace ; were set forth 
with a warmth, an energy, and an impressiveness, 
which startled and dismayed. It is impossible that a 
set of subjects more exactly calculated to affright, to 
irritate, and to disgust a Lancaster episcopalian con- 
gregation of the year 1786, could have been selected. 
Many persons abruptly left the chapel in the midst of 
the discourse; and on being published a few weeks 
later, in order that they who had heard confused and 
incorrect accounts of it might judge for themselves, it 
was so unfortunate as to excite the more particular 
indignation of a learned laic resident in the town, who 
rashly recorded his theology and his spleen in an 
angry and rather absurd pamphlet, in the preparation 
of which it is understood that he was aided by one of 
Mr. Housman's nearest connections (a unitarian minister) 
and by one of his oldest friends. To this petulant 
production Mr. Housman vouchsafed no answer; but in 
1788 the Rev. George Burder, the well-known and 
excellent author of <e Village Sermons," and formerly 
Pastor of the Independent Church in High Street, feel- 
ing that it had a tendency to deceive the unwary, and 
confirm the ignorant in their dangerous mistakes, (for 
it taught baptismal regeneration, and what Latimer 
used to call mingle-mangle, or a mixed justification, 
resulting from the joint efficacy of faith and works), 
prepared and published, " at the request of many of the 
friends of truth in Lancaster," a temperate and able 
vindication of the discourse. In the design of his 
defence, which was to prove that the doctrines in 
question are the doctrines of the Bible ; that they were 
so esteemed by the Reformers; that they had become 
shamefully and generally deserted; and that consequently 
Mr. Housman was free from the charge of being a 



xxxii 



THE LIFE OF 



setter forth of strange doctrine,, and a false accuser of 
his clerical brethren — Mr. Burder succeeded. The 
least creditable part of his pamphlet, considering that 
the writer was an orthodox evangelical dissenter, is 
that which attempts to shew an agreement between 
Mr. Housman's opinions on the subject of Regeneration, 
and those of the Established Church, by giving a cir- 
cuitous explanation of the latter. There is an evasive- 
ness here, and an uncomfortable haste in getting away 
from the point, which plainly evince a sense of diffi- 
culty and distress. Mr. Housman's mode of recon- 
ciling the discrepancy will be met with in another part 
of the memoir; it is somewhat more elaborate than 
Mr. Burder's, but scarcely more convincing. Both he 
and Mr. Burder, in fact, disliked the task. Mr. 
Burder wished to vindicate Mr. Housman from incon- 
sistency; and Mr. Housman wished to vindicate his 
Church from false doctrine. 

Against the ruinous fallacy of Baptismal Regeneration 
he had lifted up a faithful voice, on an occasion pre- 
vious to that at present under review. In one of the 
sermons preached at St. John's at the beginning of 1786, 
the manuscript of which lies before me (it is the very 
sermon to which his anonymous assailant refers at page 
15 of his pamphlet), he thus condemns the deadly notion. 

"Many have been the attempts of the opposers 
of true religion, to set aside the necessity, or dis- 
guise the nature, of the great work of Regeneration. 
As to those who deny its necessity, the denial must 
be ascribed to their own ignorance of God, themselves, 
and the sacred writings; and they who disguise its 
nature, generally call it Baptism. But while we have 
the Bible in our hands, we need not scruple positively 
to assert, on the combined authority of innumerable 
isolated passages, and of the general scope of the New 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xxxiii 



Testament records, that Baptism is not Regeneration. 
Baptism is an outward work upon the body; Regene- 
ration is an inward work upon the soul. Baptism, 
I grant, is a sacramental sign of Regeneration; just 
as the Lord's Supper is a sacramental sign of the 
body and blood of Christ; and therefore Baptism may 
be called Regeneration, by the same figure which 
Christ uses when he says of the bread, s This is my 
body.' Baptism is only typical of an inward change, 
and can be of no avail except it be accompanied 
with what our catechism calls 'a death unto sin, and 
a new birth unto righteousness.' The outward and 
visible sign may make a christian by name; but it is 
only the inward and spiritual grace which can make 
a christian in reality. . This will be evident, when we 
have described the true nature of regeneration." 

He then proceeds to describe it as consisting, not of 
a mere formal admission into external covenant with 
God, after which the person admitted is warranted in 
appropriating to himself all the promises of the Gospel, 
just as the Jews, after circumcision, were entitled to 
claim all the privileges of the Mosaic dispensa- 
tion — in which case Baptism would be Regeneration; 
but as consisting of an entire change in the disposi- 
tions of the heart and mind, the eradication of evil, 
and the implanting of holy desires, through the 
sole agency of "the same Power which made the 
worlds." 

After a lapse of nearly fifty-five years, the sermon 
which gave rise to Mr. Burder's excellent reply, is re- 
published, and will be found in this volume.* The 
copy from which it was printed belonged to Mr. Hous- 
man, and had been revised by him, apparently, from 
the handwriting, about the year 1809. The only sub- 

*Page 1. 

e 



xxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



stantial change consists of the erasure of the following 
sentence; "Adam, by the wise and equitable appoint- 
ment of God, was the Covenant-Head of all mankind. 
We were in his loins." By the omission of this passage 
I am led to conclude that between the year 1786, when 
the sermon was preached and published, and the year 
1809, when it was reperused and altered, Mr. Housman 
had modified his views on the subject of original sin ; that 
at the former period he had held, with the ultra-calvin- 
ists, the personal responsibility of mankind for the 
particular transgression of Adam in paradise ; but that, 
at the latter period, rejecting the idea of universal 
liability to punishment on account of an offence com- 
mitted by the first of our race, he simply maintained 
the transmission by Adam of an evil nature through 
all ages of time, and the personal guilt of his 
posterity in respect of sins which that evil nature ori- 
ginates. Well knowing that just in proportion to their 
convictions of the extent of the ruin and desolation 
wrought by sin, will be the sensibility of men to the 
remedial character and restorative tendency of the Gospel, 
he esteemed a cordial recognition of the principle of 
inherent, and, for spiritual purposes, total depravity — 
the turning-point in christian experience. 

When he was preparing to leave Lancaster, shortly 
after the delivery of the sermon at St. John's, and 
prior to the appearance of Mr. Burder's Vindication, 
two females, to whose hearts the word of God had 
come with power under his ministry, being greatly dis- 
tressed at the prospect of his absence, requested him 
to inform them where they might receive spiritual ad- 
vantages similar to those so abundantly imparted to 
them by his preaching. He unhesitatingly mentioned 
the Independent Chapel as the only place of worship 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



XXXV 



in Lancaster, in which,, according to his interpretation 
of the Scriptures, the distinguishing and essential 
doctrines of the Gospel were fully and faithfully ex- 
hibited. In accordance with this liberal advice they 
immediately joined the Dissenters assembling in High 
Street, among whom they continued to be regular and 
devout worshippers during the nine years that inter- 
vened between the departure of their beloved minister 
from Lancaster, and the building of St. Anne's in 1795. 
When this event took place, their personal regard 
for Mr. Housman led them to attend his chapel, to 
which they habitually resorted for the remainder of 
their days. 

If it be said that in maturer life Mr. Housman 
would have abstained from giving such advice as the 
preceding paragraph represents him to have given, the 
validity of the objection is at once admitted. The 
circumstances which justified that counsel were entirely 
changed. The preaching of "the truth as it is in 
Jesus" had revived within the Establishment ; and Mr. 
Housman, as a warm and zealous friend of the National 
Church, equally attached to her discipline, her doctrines, 
and her liturgy, would have felt himself disloyal to 
her interests, had he enjoined, or in any wise 
encouraged, a secession from her pale. But I may 
mention, that fifty-one years after the transaction above 
recorded, upon the occasion of a near and dear relative 
withdrawing from the Establishment, and uniting him- 
self to the very same body of Dissenters, Mr. Hous- 
man's remark, when he first received the intelligence, 
(and I have reason to believe that he lamented the 
fact), was simply and emphatically this; "Let every 
one be persuaded in his own mind." I am convinced, 
that under similar circumstances, he would have acted 
in 1837 exactly as he did in 1786. 



xxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



On leaving Lancaster, Mr. Housman resided at 
Market Harborough, whither he went in the summer 
of 1786, having been appointed to the cure of Lang- 
ton, about four miles distant. Here he did not remain 
much more than a year; but his ministrations, not- 
withstanding the violent opposition of some of the 
leading families in the neighbourhood, were abundantly 
owned and blessed of God. During two short visits 
which he and his wife paid to Miss Coltman of Leices- 
ter in 1785,* on their way to and from Lancaster, he 
had become acquainted with the Rev. Thomas Robinson, 
the author of " Scripture Characters ;" and in conse- 
quence of an invitation from Mr. Robinson, for whom 
he had repeatedly preached whilst at Langton, he 
repaired to Leicester towards the close of 1787, and 
officiated, for about the space of twelve months, as the 
curate of that truly conscientious and devoted man. 

In the capacity of Mr. Robinsons assistant he was 
fully and profitably employed. He preached and read 
prayers at least once every Sunday ; performed the 
service alternately with his principal at the Infirmary, 
besides sharing with him, to a very considerable extent, 
the laborious parochial duties of St. Mary's; and occa- 
sionally, when the illness or absence of Mr. Robinson 
required his substitution, delivered the Tuesday and 
Sunday Evening Lecture. To attendance upon the 
sick, and visiting the poor and afflicted, he dedicated 
large portions of his time, and was in the habit in 
after life of gratefully referring to these engagements 
as having contributed most importantly to the intimate 
familiarity which he possessed with the secret and mys- 
terious depths and winding recesses of the human heart. 

From Leicester he proceeded in 1788 to Markfield, 
a village in the neighbourhood. Of this place, the 

* A Memoir of Miss Coltman, by her niece Miss Cooper, is in preparation. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



XXXV11 



rector of which, Dr. Baddeley, was non-resident, he 
had the entire charge for above two years; at the end 
of which time, being threatened with consumption, he 
adopted the suggestions of his medical advisers, who 
counselled his return to Leicester, (for Markfield was 
exposed and cold) ; and, after a short interval of repose, 
resumed his services at St. Mary's — preaching on the 
Sunday afternoon, and reading prayers in the morning. 
On the death of Mrs. Robinson in 1791 he preached her 
Funeral Sermon; and christened the present Professor 
Robinson, late Archdeacon of Madras, the same night. 

It was at the house of Mr. Eobinson that he con- 
tracted, among many important and influential friendships, 
a personal intimacy with the Rev. Thomas Scott, the 
indefatigable and pious Commentator, with whom, both 
at that period and subsequently, he enjoyed the privilege 
of corresponding. His letters unfortunately perished 
in the general destruction of papers that took place at 
Mr. Scott's death. 

Whilst at Langton, he had become acquainted with 
his second wife, Jane Adams, a woman of strong and 
masculine understanding, to whom he was united, 
immediately before settling at Markfield, at the Church 
of St. Nicholas in Leicester, on the 24th of September 
1788. Mrs. Housman, who had been a private pupil 
of Mr. Robinson's, was the author of "The History 
of Susan Ward," a popular tract published by the 
Religious Tract Society. The scene of this simple 
and instructive little story was the picturesque vicinity 
of Langton; the "clergyman" who performs so prominent 
a part in it, the lamented subject of the present memoir. 

The tract was introduced to the Committee of the 
Society by the late Rev. Joseph Hughes, for many 
years the laborious Secretary; in the course of little 
more than twelve months it went through six editions 



xxxvm 



THE LIFE OF 



— two of five thousand copies each, and four of ten 
thousand. " Surely/' says Mrs. Housman, in allusion 
to the extraordinary popularity of her unpretending 
narrative, ' ( surely, what is so widely distributed, will 
produce some good. Should I be honoured with but 
one star in my crown, my joy would be great. But 
God must take all the glory!' 

Of " Susan Ward" the reader will find repeated mention 
in this volume. Mr. Housman alludes to it in the 
sermon which stands at page 129, and in one of his 
letters to a female correspondent, who was engaged in 
ministering to the temporal and spiritual necessities of 
a sick domestic, it is thus recommended; "The end to 
be aimed at," he says, in reference to the invalid, "is 
to bring her, through grace, to self-knowledge. On 
this essential point she seems to be very defective. 
But the Lord, in one moment, can give her such a 
view as will lay her low, and make the Saviour very 
precious. If you have the tract of ' Susan Ward' pray 
read it to her. It seems exactly to suit her case. I 
have not one, or I would send it." Mr. Housman 
knew nothing of the tract till he saw it lying on his 
table one morning, his wife having laid it there the 
previous evening. He immediately recognized the facts, 
and guessed the author. 

The daughter of pious parents, Mrs. Housman had 
enjoyed the inestimable responsibility of an early education 
in the principles of true religion, enforced and recom- 
mended by the example of eminent christian practice. 
Her father, Mr. Adams, was a member of the church 
of England; but, in common with great numbers of 
good men at that eventful period, not hearing at his 
parish church what he deemed a faithful exposition 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xxxix 



of the essential doctrines of the Bible, he so far seceded 
from the Establishment as to become a regular attend- 
ant at the Methodist meetings held from time to time 
in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, where he resided. Subsequently 
he contributed largely to the erection of a commodious 
chapel, in which christian worship, according to the 
tenets and forms of the Connexion, was celebrated. 
In Mrs. Adams he had a sympathizing help-meet. 
This admirable woman, who lived to see her daughter 
united in marriage to Mr. Housman, was an intimate 
friend and frequent companion of "the elect lady," Selina 
Countess of Huntingdon,* as well as of many of the 
excellent ministers who, in various ways and in diffe- 
rent degrees, laboured, about the middle of the last 
century, with such apostolic zeal and self-denial, in the 
cause of the everlasting Gospel. Her house was con- 
sequently the resort of such men as Wesley, Whitelield, 
Fletcher of Madeley, Newton, Berridge, Venn, Romaine, 
Mason (the author of "Spiritual Treasury"), Jones (of St. 
Saviour's, Southwark), and others of less note. Mrs. 
Housman distinctly remembered sitting when a child 
upon John Wesley's knee ; and used to speak with 
pleasure of his patting her head and blessing her.-|* 

Mrs. Adams, whose maiden name was Bateman, had 
suffered persecution for the truth's sake. Being greatly 

* Her Ladyship was Mrs. Housman's Godmother, 
f John Adams, Esq. of Broomsgrove, in Worcestershire, Mrs. Housman's only 
brother, recollects having seen John Wesley at his father's house at Ashby : he also 
heard him preach in a field adjoining. On this occasion his prayers were unusually 
short, not extending beyond a period of four minutes ; and his sermon, which lasted 
scarcely half an hour, was plain, direct, and unimpassioned. A little before ten 
o'clock at night Mr. Wesley lighted his bed-candle and took out his watch ; and 
with the watch in one hand and the candle in the other, continued talking at a great 
rate until the hour was completed. He then abruptly retired, leaving the conversa- 
tion to be resumed in the morning. Mr. Adams says that the popular portraits 
of the illustrious Founder of Methodism are exaggerated. Mr. Wesley was neither 
so thin as he is represented, nor did he wear his hair so long. He exhibited 
wonderful cheerfulness of spirits. 



xl 



THE LIFE OF 



affected by the preaching of George Whitefield, whom 
she had incidentally heard in the neighbourhood of 
her home, she determined to ally herself to the 
party of which that very remarkable man was so 
distinguished a representative, and after much and 
careful deliberation, announced her intention to her 
father. Mr. Bateman, a thoughtless, extravagant, and 
imperious country gentleman, who prided himself on his 
relationship to Lord Bateman (he was his second 
cousin), had conceived, in common with the bulk of 
his order, a deadly horror of the Methodists, and, on 
finding his daughter to be smitten with the infection, 
his hatred broke out in furious anger against his 
offending child. He told her that of course she had 
a perfect right to please herself in the choice of a 
religion, but he accompanied the concession, in the 
true spirit and after the established habit of intoler- 
ance, with a peremptory declaration that if she did 
please herself he would disinherit her. The poor 
girl, encompassed by difficulties, took time to consider; 
she consulted her friends ; she laid her case before the 
Lord in earnest and frequent prayer ; and the result of 
her consultations and supplications was, a conviction 
that she ought to serve God rather than man, and a 
heroic resolution to abide by it. Her father, on 
hearing this decision, was as good as his word. He 
had permitted the liberty of private judgment, and he 
was prepared to inflict the threatened penalty. Taking 
out his purse, he presented his daughter with a shil- 
ling — opened the door of his house — and, commanding 
her to see his face no more, bade her farewell. Mary 
Bateman, cut to the heart by conduct so unfeeling, 
took the proffered gift, and exclaiming, as she passed 
the threshold, "With this and God's blessing I will go 
through the world," left her unrelenting parent and the 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



Xli 



home of her youth, for ever. Circumstances such as 
these could not remain untalked of. They reached 
the ears of Lady Huntingdon, who, with character- 
istic generosity, offered the desolate sufferer an asy- 
lum in her own house. The offer, so frankly made, 
was no less frankly accepted; and the acquaintance 
thus providentially begun, soon ripened into profound 
friendship. Mrs. Adams never forgot the obligations 
she owed to her noble protectress ; and Lady Hunting- 
don had reason to bless God for giving her a compa- 
nion at once pious, affectionate, and judicious. 

Among the most faithful of Mary Bateman's christian 
friends at this trying juncture of her life, were the Eev. 
John Edwards, well known as " Edwards of Leeds," 
and the Rev. Thomas Jones, equally well known as 
f* Jones of St. Saviour's, Southwark." At a time when 
u each man," to ,use the language of George Whitefield, 
"was a legion," these unwearied ministers occupied 
front ranks in the battle for the truth. The earlier 
periods of Edwards's history are involved in obscurity. 
He was born in 1714 at Shrewsbury, and itinerated 
for several years in England and Wales, but more 
extensively in Ireland, where he obtained the ridiculous 
but not dishonourable appellation of " Swaddling John" 
or "John the Swaddler" — Swaddler being a term of 
reproach synonymous with 'Methodist.'* In dispen- 
sing the word of God he endured excessive opposition, 
both from the Roman Catholic population and the clergy 
of the Established Church, and underwent perils of a 
sufficiently primitive and apostolic kind to suit the 

* The origin of the term was as follows. Soon after the introduction of Metho- 
dism into Ireland, Mr. Cennick was preaching in Dublin on a Christmas day from 
Luke ii. 12. A drunken fellow, not having heard the passage before, thought 
" swaddling clothes" an oddish sort of expression, and running along the street, 
exclaimed as he went " They are Swaddlers — they are Swaddlers." The term was 
an absurd one, and accordingly became established. 

f 



xlii 



THE LIFE OF 



most perverse stickler for the wisdom and the ways of 
antiquity. Upon one occasion, a furious multitude of 
White Boys having surrounded the house in which he 
had taken refuge, and being loud in their threatenings 
to burn it to the ground, Edwards was let down 
through one of the windows, like St. Paul, in a 
basket. He alighted, however, in the garden of a 
Justice of the Peace who had distinguished himself as 
a bitter persecutor of the Swaddlers ; and fearing the 
family might observe him, and charge him with felo- 
nious designs, he stood for some time in a state of con- 
siderable consternation. At length, venturing to knock 
at the door, he asked for "the Squire," and on being 
introduced to the august presence of the great man, 
ingenuously stated the circumstances of his position, 
and besought his protection. The Justice, though a 
bigot, was kind-hearted. The Swaddlers appeal won 
his confidence, and he entertained him at his house 
two days in a hospitable manner. 

Having dissolved his connexion with Mr. Wesley, 
with whom he had long been a fellow-labourer, Mr. 
Edwards, attended by many friends, withdrew to Leeds, 
built a chapel there, and continued to minister in it 
for the space of thirty years, an intrepid champion of 
the truth. A short time before his death, which took 
place in 1785, he destroyed all his papers. The 
following letters, addressed to Miss Bateman, and 
written, at least the first of them, immediately before 
her cruel expulsion from home, will be read with interest. 

MY DEAR MISS BATEMAN, 

My heart's desire and prayer for you is, that the 
consolation of the Holy Ghost may be multiplied unto 
you by Jesus Christ. 

Your remembrance is sweet and comfortable to my 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xliii 



very soul ; being verily persuaded that you are chosen of 
God the Father, purchased by Jesus Christ, and sancti- 
fied by the Holy Ghost to that glorious and eternal 
inheritance; in consequence whereof you have made 
Imrnanuel your everlasting choice. He is your well- 
beloved, in whom your soul is well pleased. Is he not 
altogether lovely, in his person, offices, graces, and 
ordinances % " Oh ! yes," methinks I hear you answer, 
" even though he slay me. Yet his righteousness shall 
be my righteousness, his people shall be my people, 
and his God my God." Then fear not, thou precious 
soul ; 'tis the Father's good pleasure to give you the 
kingdom. The Lord is your Shepherd, and therefore 
you shall not want. For this you may rejoice, and 
again I say rejoice, that God is engaged in so near 
and so sweet a relation to you. Surely goodness and 
mercy shall follow you all the days of your life, and 
you shall dwell in the House of the Lord for ever. 
Oh! the heighth, and depth, and length, and breadth, 
of that love which passeth all knowledge! Oh! what 
manner of love is this *? Oh ! uncreated Love, beginning 
without beginning; and ending without end! Gan 
omnipotence secure, unsearchable riches suffice, can all 
fulness content you % If so, you are blessed, and shall 
be blessed. The Lord Jesus is your glory, your joy, 
and your crown, Why, then, may .you not with bold- 
ness enter into that joy which is unspeakable, that 
grace and glory to which your Lord and Head is gone 
before you"? Jesus is the door; Jesus is the porter; 
— who then shall hold you out? Who shall pluck 
you out of the hand of omnipotence? Jesus, the good 
Shepherd, hath loved you, sought you, and found you; 
and now, being found, will he lose the object of his 
love, the purchase of his blood 4 ? No; — "Him that 
cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." Who 



xliv 



THE LIFE OF 



art thou, great mountain, that appearest so formid- 
able 4 ? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain; 
and He shall bring forth the top-stone with shoutings, 
crying, "Grace Grace unto it." Oh! madam, yet a 
little while, and we shall meet in those blessed mansions 
where our great and glorious High Priest is gone 
before; where we shall no more be compelled to sit 
by the rivers of Babylon, and to hang our harps on 
the willows ; but, having every string in tune — in 
sweetest harmony and ineffable delight we shall sing 
Hallelujah, Honour, Glory, and Power, to Him that 
sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and 
ever. Even so — come, Lord Jesus; come quickly. 
Amen. 

Please to tender my best respects to Mr. and Mrs. 
Bateman. I should have written to Mr. Rossiter, but 
Time — Time — . My kindest love to him and his 
dear companion. Thanks be to God, our portion, our 
inheritance, is not in this perishing world. Tell them 

'tis all blank . Love to dear Miss Bateman. I 

commend her to the living God; and remain her most 
affectionate friend and brother in Christ, 

John Edwards. 

After her father's death, Miss Bateman resided with 
her mother, (the most affectionate attachment having 
invariably subsisted between them,) until her marriage 
with Mr. Adams in 1765. The year before this events 
Mr. Edwards addressed her as follows. 

Leeds, Oct. 27, 1764. 

DEAR POLLY, 

Perhaps by this time some of my London friends 
have thought me long in writing. I think so myself, 
but hope they will excuse me, and allow for the ex- 
traordinary hurry my being so long from home has 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xlv 



thrown upon me. We continue, through mercy, in 
peace and tolerable health. I hope the Lord's work 
goes on comfortably amongst us, though we have 
no very remarkable stirs. My part is diligence and 
dependence; — Oh! that I could grow in this way! 
Success is at the Lord's disposal, and I trust he has 
not fixed me here in vain. 

What an honour and a blessing to be in his service! 
Surely I can stand to David's choice and say, I had 
rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than 
dwell in the tents of the wicked, however prosperous 
and pleasing. But he has given me more than this. 
He has called me, not to be a door-keeper, but to go 
in and out before his people, to break the bread 
of life to them. This is the one thing I earnestly 
desire of the Lord, that I might still, all the days of 
my life, behold his beauty, and inquire at his Temple. 
He has hitherto granted it, and I rejoice in his good- 
ness. I would not change my calling for all the 
wealth of the Indies. Yet it is a service full of dif- 
ficulty and temptation. I might well tremble at every 
attempt, and should be utterly discouraged if I did not 
know that the grace of the Lord Jesus is sufficient for 
me. I know he is made of God, wisdom, righteous- 
ness, sanctification, and redemption, to poor sinners; and 
this just suits me. Without these blessings I must 
be miserable. In myself I have them not — they are 
treasured up in Him as water in the ocean. And he 
is beyond expression ready to distribute, willing to 
communicate. He says, " Ask, and ye shall receive." 
" Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." Lord, we 
believe ; help thou our unbelief. We desire ; do thou 
exceed our largest wishes, according to the riches of 
thy grace. 

I hope you have at most but two frames: — are 



xlvi 



THE LIFE OF 



either rejoicing in the light of God's countenance (this 
is pleasant indeed;) or if not so, at least mourning 
after him, and seeking him with your whole heart. 
This, though not so pleasant, is, in its season, equally 
profitable. When we are in the light, we learn some- 
thing of God ; when we are in the dark, we learn 
something of ourselves. But to be deprived of the 
Lord's presence, and yet insensible of our loss, so as 
to be able to take satisfaction in something short of 
his love — this is a dangerous state, upon the very 
brink of temptation and a fall. The Lord keep us 
from it. May we maintain a godly jealousy of ourselves, 
and remember that Satan desires to have us, that he 
may sift us even as wheat. Dependence and prayer 
are ours. Keep near the Lord Jesus : — endeavour to 
call back your wandering mind many times in an hour, 
if it should so often rove from the consideration of his 
person and his grace. I have read many books, and 
tried many means to preserve my heart in frame, , and 
I find nothing comparable to the Apostle's precept — 
Looking unto Jesus. He is, or should be, that to 
every believer, which the Sun is to the natural 
world. His light is necessary, and his shining desira- 
ble ; when he is in view we can hardly go wrong. 
It is because he is so often out of sight that we have 
so many complaints. O thou shepherd of Israel, thou 
that leadest thy people like a flock: thou that dwellest 
between the cherubim, shine forth and revive our 
hearts! Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy 
people may rejoice in thee*? 

Grace be with you all. I am, my dear friend, yours, 
in the best relation, 

John Edwards. 
The next letter, from the Countess of Huntingdon to 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xlvii 



Miss Bateman, has reference to the laying of the 
foundation-stone of the celebrated Chapel at Bath, a 
circumstance, of which, considering the importance of 
the occasion, it is remarkable that no notice is taken 
in the recently published memoirs of her Ladyship. 

MY DEAR BATEMAN, 

I have taken the resolution to stay this summer in 
this part of the world, and hope you will come and 
see me while I am at Bath. Mrs. Davies's house 
I am in full possession of on Monday next, and shall 
have a room for you; I hope your mother will be so 
kind as not to be against your coming. Before you 
come down, I shall be glad to know what Mr. Ro- 
maine will do about Brighton, and if he intends being 
there. 1 have written to Mrs. Madan, but have had 
no answer. I purpose to write this post, and also to 
Mr. Berridge, that I may be sure they are well sup- 
plied. I find such a backwardness in all our fine clergy 
in preaching the Gospel, that I really know not what 
to make of it ; but I believe it has a great lesson 
which I am to attend to — that the Lord himself will 
be my shepherd, that I may lack nothing. I believe 
this whole affair of the chapel here has the marks of 
his hand, as evidently as it is possible for them to 
appear in any human work. I have not had one 
line from any quarter to approve or rejoice in the 
matter ; the whole lies between my heart and himself ; 
and in blessing he will bless it, and in multiplying 
he will multiply ; and this is my joy. An uncommon 
blessing attended the laying the first stone; and Mora- 
vians and others were all peculiarly sensible of it. 
That all throughout the whole of this business the 
Lord has been his own witness, bows my heart before 
him, to give him all the praise and all the glory ; that 



xlviii 



THE LIFE OF 



no man's hand is in it, is no small matter of thanks 
to me. My soul designs to trust him alone, for, and 
in, all things. He is full and sufficient for all pur- 
poses, both in heaven and in earth. I find it a hard 
lesson; but I am sure it is the best lesson he means 
to make his creature perfect and clear in. 

I have ordered a stone with " M. B." upon it, which 
you are to pay for. I have ordered it to be placed 
at the other corner of the foundation, and to be the 
principal stone on the left hand of the building, as 
mine is on the right. This your dear heart seemed 
to wish, so that a share in the blessing that followed 
the undertaking, might be your portion; and this my 
heart as much desires for you as your own can do. 

My love to your mother and Mrs. Jones. When 
you see poor Kitty,* tell her I remember her in love. 
I hope you will see dear Mrs. Carteret and Mrs. 
Cavendish j* before you come away ; and do ask Briscoe 
if he will take the jewels at the price. Tell him, as 
I have not been in town since, that they are sealed 
up, and as he left them, and that I am willing to 
part with them. Mr. Carteret has the key, and Mr. 
Hastings of Queen Ann's street will go for them. J 
Ever affectionately yours, 

Selina Huntingdon. 

Immediately after Miss Bateman's marriage, Lady 
Huntingdon addressed the following letter to Mr. Adams, 
who, it appears, had coupled an announcement of the 
event with an offer of his wife's services, in case they 
should ever be wanted by her kind and noble protectress. 

* Formerly Miss Bateman's servant. 

t These Ladies are mentioned in the correspondence of Mr. Venn, p. 225. 
3rd Ed. 

X In 1760, her ladyship disposed of jewels to the amount of £698. 15. 0. ; the 
proceeds she applied to religious purposes. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xlix 



June 13, 1765. 

DEAR MR. ADAMS, 

I am bound to thank you for your kind letter. I am 
glad (supposing it best) that the event is over which 
promises happiness to you and dear Mrs. Adams. You 
are kind in your offers of her services to me ; but a 
woman is bound to her husband, and I look upon no 
further right in her heart for one moment. It is yours, 
freely given by herself. My love for her will never 
be lost or forgotten; but she knows all my sentiments 
on this subject. Your house, your family, your child- 
ren, your pursuits, must and ought wholly to engross 
her ; and unless you had hoped this from her, you should 
never have chosen her. And, dear Mr. Adams, how 
unsuitable is all this to the pilgrim-life which necessity 
makes mine ! To you it will at all times be convenient 
to visit me, and my heart will ever rejoice to welcome 
her\ but, as for one hour's comfort from her while on 
earth, I neither can nor ought any more to expect it 
than one in Turkey. As far as I know anything, it 
appears quite impossible that I should ever again be 
where you kindly wish to welcome me, till I am to 
rest from every earthly labour. * We must wait for 
our meeting in heaven; for true liberty is only there, 
except that which faith gives us here. Remember, if 
ever you feel the spirit of heaviness which / cannot 
help feeling at the loss of a friend, that it is you who 
have deprived me of her. For the happiness of both 
of you I shall ever pray; but will never hazard inter- 
fering with it for an instant. 

Nothing can be more heavy to me than the view I 
have of my Derbyshire journey; it is altogether in the 
spirit of sacrifice that I take it. I neither see, hope, 
nor expect anything from it, but simply obey the call, 



* The family vault of the Huntingdons was at Ashby-de-la-Zouch. 
g 



1 



THE LIFE OF 



which you and Mrs. Dobins thought due from me in 
the service of the Gospel. Be so good as to inquire 
if Mr. Sellon had my letter. * If a burdened, afflicted, 
and distressed heart can bring a blessing, mine is 
enough to set the whole country in a flame. My love 
to dear Mrs. Adams ; and ever be assured of the 
friendship of her heart who is faithfully yours, 

Selina Huntingdon. 

The Rev. Thomas Jones, of whom mention has been 
made in a previous page, as one of the very few friends 
at whose hands Miss Bateman, when discarded by her 
natural protector, received the consolations of christian 
sympathy and christian counsel, was born in 1729, 
and, having devoted uncommon zeal and great talents 
to the cause of evangelical religion, under numberless 
and most harrassing insults, his health at length gave 
way, and he was called to his rest at the early age 
of thirty-three. Mr. Jones was connected by marriage 
with Miss Bateman, having been united, some years 
before his death, to Jane, her second sister. 

The following interesting letter, dated October 21, 
1760, was written to Mary Bateman whilst she resided 
with the Countess of Huntingdon. 

MY DEAR POLLY, 

I take up my pen to give you an answer to that 
part of your letter, where you ask "if I would accept 
of a living in the country, if it was as good as my 
own." 

This is what I have had upon my mind a long time ; 

* Mr. Sellon (who is mentioned also in one of Mr. Berridge's letters a little 
further on) was originally a baker, and became one of Wesley's lay-preachers ; after- 
wards, through Lady Huntingdon's influence, he obtained orders in the Established 
Church. He bore rather a prominent part in the controversial disputes which 
followed the famous discussion at Bristol between the Calvinistic and Arminian 
Methodists. Sellon took the Wesleyan side of the question. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ll 



ever since the beginning of my illness, I have formed a 
strange desire to be removed to a country parish. I 
have been afraid to indulge the thought, and God 
knows I have frequently prayed against it, fearing it 
was a temptation of the enemy. I have therefore 
begged of God to make me contented in my station, and 
reconcile me to the cross ; but I have still been haunted 
with this strong desire ; whether or no it is from the 
Lord, the event will determine. I have been afraid of 
mentioning my desire (though sometimes I could not 
help it) lest I should be indulging my own self-will; 
but I determined secretly within myself, that if ever a 
living should be offered me, I would look upon such 
offer as a door of Providence opened, and a call from 
God for my removal. I am still of that mind, especially 
when I consider that my present parishioners do not 
receive my ministry. I speak of them now in general, 
as a people; there are a blessed few, I trust, who 
receive the truth in the love of it ; but, in general, my 
person is despised, and my ministry rejected. If I 
have attempted to promote a knowledge of God among 
my people, whether by expounding, lecturing, &c, I 
have been constantly opposed and hindered. Again, my 
weakness and inability to visit the sick and to take 
care of so large a parish, has been a burden upon my 
mind a long time, and made me wish for a living 
where I could be at liberty, and have a church at my 
command, and no more people than I could visit and 
be acquainted with. These considerations incline me 
to answer 'yes' to your proposal. You will therefore 
give my respectful duty to my Lady, and tell her I 
shall thankfully receive a living in the country equal 
to my own, which is £150 a year. I would not wil- 
lingly have it less, by reason of my frequent and 
expensive illnesses. I pray God direct me aright, and 



lii 



THE LIFE OF 



order all things concerning me according to his own 
blessed will. Pray for me that his presence and 
blessing may attend me wherever I go. I am much 
obliged to Lady Huntingdon for her kind letter ; thank 
her Ladyship in my name. I will take the first oppor- 
tunity to answer it, when I know where to direct, as 
I suppose you will soon remove from where you are. 

I pray God keep you, my dear sister, as the apple 
of his eye. May the dear Lord Jesus set your heart 
at liberty, and shew you all his great salvation. My 
wife, I suppose, has told you what news our family 
affords, &c. I only add that I am, in real love and 
sincerity, my dear Polly, your affectionate brother, 

Thomas Jones. 

Mr. Jones never got the living ; he continued at 
St. Saviour's till the day of his death. 

I am in possession of one other letter addressed by this 
truly excellent man to Miss Bateman. It is dated the 5th 
of May 1762 ; exactly a month before he entered upon 
his rest. His correspondent, who still resided with 
Lady Huntingdon, lay ill of a fever at her Ladyship's 
house in New Norfolk street, Grosvenor Square. 

Castle Street, May 5, 1762. 

MY DEAr"~SISTER, 

I fully intended calling upon you yesterday, but it 
hath pleased God to prevent me by laying his hand 
upon me, I caught cold on Sunday evening last, 
being overtaken by that violent rain, for I could get 
no coach. My dear wife, through divine mercy, is 
better, and I am now in hopes she will soon be restored. 

I truly feel for you under your present affliction. 
May it be abundantly sanctified. May the absence 
of earthly friends be supplied by the divine presence, 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



liii 



and in the midst of your tribulations may God's comforts 
refresh your soul. Be not anxious as to the event. 
Assure yourself that you are in the hands of infinite 
wisdom and mercy. Consider that you are now called 
to suffer the will of your heavenly Father. Pray for 
strength to submit to his holy pleasure concerning 
you. 

Perplex not yourself about frames and feelings (in 
which there is more self-will than you imagine), but 
be rather solicitous for a meek and lowly submission 
to the present dispensation, and for patience and wil- 
lingness to take up the cross. As it hath pleased 
God to put you into the furnace, I hope you will leave 
much dross behind, and come forth tried and purified. 
May our dearest Saviour support you, and make all 
your bed in your sickness. Depend on seeing me as 
soon as I am able to go abroad, by which time I trust 
your recovery will be pretty far advanced. Jenny * 
sends you her affectionate remembrances. 
1 Our best duty waits on your Lady. I hope she will 
be comforted and supported under her present heavy trial. 
Lady Selina is, I hope, on the recovery. — I wish Philips 
would let us know, by a line, how you are. I am, 
with the tenderest regard, my dear Polly, your affec- 
tionate brother, 

Thomas Jones. 

Lady Huntingdon's only daughter, Lady Selina Hast- 
ings, to whom reference is made in the concluding 
paragraph, and who died in 1763, was also a sufferer 
from the same malady, and at the same time. The 
following note, addressed to Miss Bateman by Lady 
Huntingdon, bespeaks, no less than the letters already 



* Mrs. Jones. 



liv 



THE LIFE OF 



printed, the profound affection with which she regarded 
her correspondent and protegee. 

Friday Afternoon, April 30, 1762. 

MY DEAR BATEMAN, 

I long to come and see you, but the doctor thinks 
there may be danger of bringing additional infection 
to Lady Selina ; and should she have a relapse of the 
fever, with an eruption, in her weak state it might be 
of bad consequence. In this situation of mine, I am 
sure you would not wish to see me; but if you 
at any time should, I will come the last thing at night, 
and then I think no danger can arise from it. You 
must know that you command from my heart all that 
can be done; and the doctor assures me you have not 
one symptom that is in the least to be feared. May 
our dear Lord bless your heart with such a measure of 
joy, peace, quiet, and assurance, as may cause you to 
repose in confidence all your cares upon his tender 
bosom. I am truly anxious for your real peace and 
health ; but for all, and in all, I commend you to him 
who is the friend that fails not, and who will be found 
yours and mine eternally. Ever, ever, your affectionate 
and faithful friend, 

Selina Huntingdon. 
P. S. — Let me know if you want anything, and if 
you would have me send to let your mother know. 

Mr. Jones obtained his immortality on the 6th of 
June, 1762; his funeral sermon was preached by the 
Rev. Wm. Romaine. "Dear Mr. Jones," says Lady 
Huntingdon, "lived happily, and died rejoicing. He 
was long the subject of affliction, and often at death's 
door; but he was refined in the furnace of affliction, 
and his growth in grace and knowledge of the Saviour 



THE REV R. HOUSMAN. 



iv 



was great and remarkable." I possess his pocket-book, 
containing a brief diary for the year of his death. 
The last entry is on the 25th of May, and is a sup- 
plication for the health of his wife who was residing 
at Canonbury House for the benefit of a change of 
air. The journal declares how indefatigably he la- 
boured, though bowed down by continual sickness, in 
the cause of his Divine Master, and how sweetly his 
humble spirit depended upon that Master for strength 
and consolation and peace. It commences with a 
Prayer, of which the following is a copy. 

(f Through thy great goodness and long-suffering, O 
my God, am I permitted to see the beginning of 
another year. It is of thy mercies that I have not 
been long ago consumed. Oh! let thy goodness lead 
me to repentance. Make me thankful, I beseech thee, 
and grant that the life thou hast spared may be spent 
to thy glory. Pardon my past sins and unprofitable- 
ness, and send down thy Holy Spirit upon me. Guide 
me into all truth; preserve me from all error; settle 
my judgment; increase my faith; sanctify me, through 
thy truth, and lead me in the way of thy command- 
ments. Prepare me for all that lies before me; sanc- 
tify every occurrence that is to befall me. Help me 
to redeem the time, to improve my talents, and to be 
found watching. Strengthen me for the work of the 
ministry, and make me useful in my generation. 

Lord Jesus, lift up the light of thy countenance 
upon me ; infuse fresh vigour into my soul ; and grant 
that I may so pass through things temporal, that I 
finally lose not the things which are eternal. Amen." 
i 

The Rev. Henry Venn, successively Vicar of Hud- 
dersfield and Rector of Yelling, lost no time in offering 
an affectionate condolence to Mr. Jones's afflicted widow. 



Ivi 



THE LIFE OF 



The following letter, dated only six days after the dis- 
tressing event, will be read with deep interest by all 
who know and respect the talents, the labours, and the 
distinguished christian excellence of the writer. Mrs. 
Jones, after the death of her husband, resided with her 
intimate friend Miss Gideon (the sister of Sampson, 
first Lord Eardley). Miss Gideon is repeatedly mentioned 
in the letters of Romaine and Venn. Some of White- 
field's are addressed to her. 

Huddersfield, June \2th, 1762. 

Amongst the many sincere mourners, dear Madam, 
for your loss, and for the loss of all Mr. Jones's frieDds, 
for the loss of his flock, for the loss of the Church of 
God, in his removal to the saints in glory, permit me 
to address you, and to pour out my earnest desires that 
whilst your heart is bleeding through the infinitely 
painful separation from such a husband, the Lord who 
gave him to you, and has now taken him to himself, 
would calm and assuage the tumult in your breast. If 
there is any consolation in having companions in grief, 
how much must yours be alleviated by hundreds and 
thousands who are now in tears, following the dear 
departed man of God with Elisha's cry, "O my Father, 
the chariots and the horsemen of Israel ! " If there is 
support in the thought that the righteous enter into 
everlasting rest the moment they are absent from the 
body, how strongly do all those christian graces which 
shone in the dear partner of your bed, plead that you 
should be satisfied at his departure. If distinction 
and eminence, where all is transporting and glorious, 
was the highest object of your wishes, and the constant 
subject of your prayers for dear Mr. Jones whilst he 
was in the flesh — what reason have you to say now 
"it is well," when you have seen him removed before 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. Ivii 

he was suffered to dishonour his holy profession; after 
a most visible growth in grace, a more shining confor- 
mity to his dear Master's image, and after being made 
more and more useful in the conversion of sinners, and 
the edification of the children of God. What an exceed- 
ing weight of glory must he bear upon him, whom it 
pleased the King of Kings thus to honour in his Church 
below. If there is enough to stanch the most violent 
stream of grief, though flowing from the most deeply 
afflicted heart, to know that our cross is not the 
wound of an enemy, nor the stroke of a cruel one, but 
an instance of fatherly love and of covenant faithfulness 
— with what powerful application may you assure your- 
self, that this cup, however bitter to the taste, shall 
work for your good, when you remember the change 
from death to life, from darkness to light, from the 
curse of the Law to the blessings of the Gospel, 
experienced in both your hearts, before, long before, you 
were parted. If it is a reviving consideration that 
whenever affliction comes it comes expected and prepared 
for by prayer, by frequently putting God in remembrance 
of his covenant; what consolation may you, dear 
Madam, derive from hence in your widowed estate, by 
calling to mind how many prayers of your own, how 
many effectual petitions of your dear husband's, are 
registered, and lie before the throne of grace, that now 
especially they may be fulfilled in enabling you to 
rejoice in tribulation, or at least to possess your soul 
in patience. If the promises of God are fountains of 
comfort and rocks of support to the children of God; 
how happy a circumstance, in the midst of your grief, 
that they are promises which you have already tried, 
and whose sweetness you have already tasted. If there 
is in your soul a desire — and oh! how strong is that 
desire! — to do anything that might give additional 

h 



Iviii 



THE LIFE OF 



pleasure to your dear husband, supposing him now 
capable of an increase of felicity, it is at this season 
before you. It is, not to sorrow as those who have 
no hope; not otherwise to weep than as Jesus wept, 
when he whom he loved was in his grave. Methinks 
if anything could for a moment draw down the regard 
of your dear husband to anything so little as what 
pertains to earth, it would be to address yourself in 
some such words as these ; "Weep not immoderately 
for me, thou child of God. I am, I have, all your 
affection could wish for me, all my immortal soul can 
receive. I am possessed of the unsearchable riches of 
Christ, which I was allowed to display in the work of my 
ministry. Haste to come and partake of the same 
glory. Let patience have its perfect work. Faint 
not under the cross, and yours also shall be the crown 
of glory." 

May the God of hope, of patience, and of all conso- 
lation be your helper now, and the lifter up of your 
head. May he hear the prayers of those who think 
upon the prophet's widow, and bear your sorrows on 
their hearts. May he give you to feel his love, and 
long for his appearance; that what seems at first view 
so grievous, may in the issue add both weight and 
brightness to the glory which shall be your portion. 

My wife, who is now ill, joins with me in these my 
prayers; and, wishing you all the supports which God 
promises to his people, I am, with real sympathy 
for your affliction, yours, in all christian love, 

Henry Venn. 

From communications which I have had an oppor- 
tunity of inspecting, Mr. Adams, (Mrs. Housman's 
father) appears to have been a man of more than or- 
dinary attainments in christian knowledge and christian 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



lix 



practice. In a letter to one of her children, written 
in 1834, his daughter, to whom a packet of his letters 
had been bequeathed by a sister-in-law, mentions him 
in the following affectionate and grateful terms. "1 
have received my father's letters. Both yesterday and 
to-day I have nearly blinded myself with reading them. 
The hand is rather small; the paper nearly worn out; 
the ink faded; — but even in their mutilated state, they 
have afforded me unspeakable pleasure. Oh, what a 
privilege to have had such a father! Every letter 
breathes a prayer for the spiritual welfare of the child 
he was addressing; and though I was too young for 
him to correspond with me, I doubt not I had his 
prayers that I might be a participant in the blessings 
he implored for the elder branches of the family. And 
you, my dear Agnes, may likewise be a sharer; since 
there is a promise for good to the children's children 
of the righteous." The character of Mr. Adams is 
further indicated in some letters addressed to him by 
Mr. Berridge. These letters, now published for the 
first time, are possessed of more than a mere bio- 
graphical interest. They bear the infallible marks of 
the writer's strong but eccentric genius: and, notwith- 
standing a few oddities, reminding one of "the fool's 
cap," are well worth preserving. 

Everton, August 21, 1765. 

DEAR SIR, 

Your brother was so kind as to call upon me, and 
I would not let him depart without a token of my 
love for you. Such as it is you have it now in your 
hands; a pepper-corn payment, bringing you little, but 
wishing you much, even grace, mercy, and peace, 
with a daily increase of them, both to yourself and 
your new partner. I wish you both joy, yea much 



ix 



THE LIFE OF 



joy, but all in the Lord. Perhaps you do not know 
that you have married my sister. Indeed she is as 
like me as if we had been born of one mother. Well 
— you are married into a good family, but, I trust, 
adopted into a better; and though you have given 
your hand to my sister Bateman, I hope your heart, as 
well as hers, is given to my Lord Jesus. Remember 
who is your master, who, with all the tenderness of a 
Father, says — "Son, give me thy heart." Love him 
above all, and her as yourself. If your family should 
increase, I hope that will not induce you to enlarge 
your business immoderately. The cares of the world 
are as fatal as its pleasures. The former, like cancers, 
eat up the heart; the latter, like Syrens, bewitch it. 
You will remember for what purpose Labour was 
appointed: — not for the sake of thriving, but of eating: 
"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." And 
"they that will be rich" (are willing, are desirous 
to be rich, trade with this view, though ever so ho- 
nestly) "fall into many snares." Labouring for bread 
to eat is part of the curse : therefore make it not a 
greater curse than God intended. 

Mr. Janson is with you, I hear, or near you ; pray 
tell him I shall be glad to see him on his return, and 
that I do expect him some Saturday, to stay at least 
till the Monday following. Present my respects to 
your mother and wife, and to all your society. I am, 
dear Sir, your affectionate servant, 

John Berridge. 

The next was written when Mr. Berridge was suffer- 
ing from severe indisposition. In a letter dated in 
the same year Mr. Venn says — "Summer differs not 
more from winter than this dear man from what he 
was ten years ago: — he is now broken in heart, yet 
fervent in spirit." 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



lxi 



Everton, June 3, 1771. 

DEAR SIB, 

I received your letter, and thank you for your kind 
invitation. I am glad your zeal for Christ and his 
Gospel continues ; may it increase more and more. 
My desire is still to go out as usual; but alas, I am 
become a mere broken vessel. This time three 
years I was seized with a high fever, which laid me 
up for five months; this was succeeded by a nervous 
fever, which has hung on me ever since. In the 
winter I am somewhat braced, and can make a poor 
shift to preach on the Sabbath, but nothing more. 
As soon as the hot weather comes in, I am fit for 
nothing but to sigh and yawn. Last summer I did 
not preach for four months. I feel myself now grow- 
ing very feeble, and how much longer I shall be able 
to preach I know not. My breast is so weak that 
I can bear very little exercise of walking or riding, 
and I am so tender that I cannot stir out of doors in 
summer without a cloak, when there is a wind. My 
disorder is nearly the same with dear Mr. Whitefield's, 
and from tokens received I expect to continue in this 
state for two years longer. Do think of me, dear sir, 
daily, and beg of God to strengthen me to preach on 
the Sabbath. The Lord gave me notice of this sick- 
ness nine months before it came, following me first 
with these words "Thou shalt be dumb for a season," 
and then with these words, "Thou must have fellow- 
ship with Christ in his sufferings." Well, Lord, be 
it so; only grant me patience, a resigned will, and a 
sanctified rod. I find we know but little of ourselves, 
and gain but little of the Gospel broken heart, till 
we have been emptied from vessel to vessel, or fried 
like a cake in a pan, and turned a hundred times over. 
Our malignant humours lie hid in the sunshine, and 
squat like toads under a tile; but when Davids iron 



Ixii 



THE LIFE OF 



harrows are drawn over our Ammonitish backs again 
and again, then the toads will spit and swell. 

I wish you and Mrs. Adams much joy in the Lord. 
May Jesus bless you, and keep you, and lift up the 
light of his countenance on you, and on your affection- 
ate servant, 

John Berridge. 
P. S. — Pray give my love to Mr. Sellon when you 
see him. 

Two years later, Mr. Adams received the following 
characteristic epistle from the same writer. 

Everton, June 9th, 1773. 

DEAR SIR, 

I received a very kind letter from you about a 
twelvemonth ago. " Aye," says Mrs. Adams, V so 
you did, and it is a shame for you not to answer it 
sooner. If I had the care of you, I would teach you 
better manners." Indeed, if any one could help me, I 
believe Mrs. Adams might, for she has both sense and 
spirit, and has long been a great favourite with the 
Vicar of Everton. But, alas! the Vicar is grown 
grey, and very vapourish; and old asses, though they 
have long ears, are very hard of hearing. 

When your letter came to hand I was deep in the 
suds, and continued so for five months ; during which 
time I did not stir out of my parish, and could not 
bear the thoughts of writing. As the winter drew 
on I grew better, and might have written ; but then 
shame prevented me. So I threw your letter into the 
fire, that it might not reproach me. At length, 
Thomas Clark, an old Nottinghamshire friend, comes 
up to Everton, and I determined to write (better late 
than never), and retrieve my character if possible. 
Pray tell Mrs. Adams I am very sensible of my fault, 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



Ixiii 



and ask pardon, and hope to do better another time. 
And let her know that I am become a Moderate Cal- 
vinist. 

My health, through mercy, is much better than it 
has been for five years; and I now retain some hope 
of visiting your parts again, but not this summer. If 
my body groweth able to endure a journey, and the 
clergyman you mentioned continues willing to exchange 
churches, I may yet see Ashby. Pray give my kind 
love to him. 

I hope, the older you grow, the more you become 
sensible of your vileness, and lay your mouth lower in 
the dust. The more grace you have, and the holier 
you are, the viler you will be in your own eyes. 
Mercy will be your pleasant food and song, and a 
gospel broken heart your sweet companion. Young 
pilgrims are often soaring to the moon, and talking 
much of their own graces; but an old traveller drops 
into the dust, and sings Hosannahs unto Jesus. 

Present my kind love to Mrs. Adams, and to all 
christian friends. Grace and peace be with you all, 
and with him who is the least of all, 

John Berridge * 

Upon the occasion of Mr. Adams's death, Lady Hun- 
tingdon addressed to his widow a letter of affectionate 
condolence. 

London, Spa-fields, May 26, 1779. 

MY DEAREST MRS. ADAMS, 

The intelligence received last night by a letter from 
Mr. Glazebrook, made me deeply enter, as a faithful 
sympathizer, into your personal affliction. I have often 
trod this painful road; nor is the recollection of it 



* The original of this letter is in the possession of Dr. Raffles, to whose kindness 
I am indebted for the copy now printed. 



Ixiv 



THE LIFE OF 



otherwise than serene. Had I but profited more by 
a wise father's correction, I should have become a more 
obedient child. It has, however, enabled me to be a 
tender sharer in the tears of the widow and the father- 
less; and with you, from the love I have ever borne 
you, I am doubly afflicted. I had reason to dread 
this event for you, when you probably thought it 
remote. It is now over, and cannot be recalled. 
Regard it as the best proof that could be given of 
God's love to him who is removed from earth to heaven. 
The exchange we ought to live for; and for it alone. 
Let us more ardently pursue the blessed and glorious 
objects before us. The only way to be eternally wise, 
and temporally happy, is to be securing that blissful 
eternity which knows nothing of loss, affliction, or 
distress. 

I long to know your situation, and all your future 
prospects. At present I can only feel for your aching 
heart and your many tears. Oblige me with your friend- 
ship and your confidence under these bitter circumstances ; 
but make Christ your chief confidant. He is the 
creator of our souls, and the husband of them. He is 
the Lord of Hosts, and commands legions to guard 
and comfort us, and watch all our sorrows with unceas- 
ing love and unerring wisdom. Let but faith have its 
full exercise, and victory will be yours. You will be 
more than conqueror. 

I desire all that is kind to Mr. Glazebrook. I will 
write the first minute I have time; but first of all I 
shall long for you to tell me that you find a father's 
holy arm supporting you. I know you hate writing; 
but for once relieve my mind, and tell me how you 
do. Believe me, with more faithful and sympathizing 
love than I can express, ever your devoted friend, 

Selina Huntingdon. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



Ixv 



It appears that Mrs. Adams in her answer had 
evidenced a want of that entire submission and self- 
renunciation which afflictions are so beautifully designed 
to produce in those to whom the religion of Jesus is 
life and light. Anything less than a complete casting 
of all cares upon him who careth for us, argues 
undoubtedly an imperfect and perhaps a precarious 
dependence; and, in a great majority of cases, indicates, 
as Lady Huntingdon well observes in her reply, an 
unsubdued condition of the "old legal heart." Her 
ladyship, however, makes no allowance for the peculi- 
arities of constitutional temperament; and yet she knew 
Mrs. Adams too intimately not to be aware that in her 
a more than usually strong understanding was united 
with a more than ordinary proneness to desponding fear. 

MY DEAREST MRS. ADAMS, 

You were very kind to satisfy my great anxiety about 
you. I never fear the Lord's care of you as the most 
faithful and honest creature living, as to this world; 
but I do long to hear that your precious soul is 
more and more alive to the glories purchased by the 
dear Lamb of God for your eternal blessedness. Oh! 
let your heart turn to this Lord of life and glory, and 
all that veil of legal hope and fear will be taken away, 
and you will behold the glory that shall change you 
into his divine image. Give him your children, and 
he will bless them as he esteems blessings. Continue 
as a widow indeed, in supplications night and day. 
Break through, my dear friend, and cleave only to the 
Lord, with full purpose of heart. Let him lead, bless, 
and guide you into all his wisdom, righteousness, sepa- 
ration from this world, and eternal redemption in his 
kingdom of peace and joy. When I look at these 
privileges, and find you are cold and careless about 

i 



Ixvi 



THE LIFE OF 



them, oh! how am I grieved in heart and spirit! I 
know that could I have a voice from the dead it 
would be to encourage me to pursue you with all 
entreaties, and every alarming thought, for your safety, 
and enjoyment of these spiritual blessings. Oh! that 
the Lord would but bless my poor wretched words, 
wishes, and prayers, for this happy purpose! Your 
old legal heart remains unsubdued. You will not 
let the King of Glory in, lest he should not find you 
as good as you think you are. You can't trust his 
faithfulness or his power. Oh! forsake all, and em- 
brace the Son of God, for all purposes of good, either 
in heaven or on earth. Till then you never never can 
be happy. I do beg you to remember this. * # * 
Ten thousand blessings rest upon you and yours ; which 
is the faithful and affectionate prayer of your affection- 
ate friend, 

Selina Huntingdon. 

The history of Mr. Glazebrook, whose name occurs 
in the first of these two letters, is remarkable, and 
will be found at some length in the Memoirs of the 
Countess. He was the first fruit of Mr. Fletcher's 
apostolic labours at Madeley, and probably the first 
candidate proposed for education at the College at 
Trevecca. Having itinerated for some time, and 
with great success, as one of Lady Huntingdon's 
preachers, he obtained orders in the Established Church ; 
and in 1779, after serving several curacies, one of 
which was in Leicestershire, settled at Warrington as 
Incumbent of St. James's, Latchford. Subsequently, 
on the presentation of Lord Moira, he became Vicar 
of Belton in Leicestershire, where he died. He was 
the author of various publications of considerable merit. 

Between Mr. Glazebrook's family and that of Mrs. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



Ixvii 



Adams, the closest intimacy subsisted. "Your dear 
father/' says Mrs. Housman, writing in 1827 to his 
only surviving daughter, Mrs. Rylands, the wife of 
John Rylands, Esq. of Warrington, "was loved by me 
as a father, both before and after my real parent was 
removed from this vale of tears ; and his offspring 
have ever appeared to me as kindred rather than 
common friends." Mr. Glazebrook's regard for Mrs. 
Housman was not less profound. Addressing her soon 
after her marriage, he thus writes : " My connexion 
for so long a time with your family, my having nursed 
and dandled you when a child, and felt for you the 
affection of a father rather than that of a friend ever 
since, have never suffered me to hear with indifference 
anything which concerned you, and especially a cir- 
cumstance of such magnitude as that of a union for 
life. How it will be, should the trial ever come, I 
know not; but at present I can truly say that I 
scarcely think it possible for me to feel myself more 
interested in the marriage of either of my own 
daughters." A little further on, having playfully com- 
mented upon Mrs. Housman's enthusiastic opinion of 
her husband, of whom, however, he says "he had 
received equally pleasing accounts from other quarters," 
Mr. Glazebrook proceeds to express a wish which was 
amply realized even before he entered upon his rest. 
"Rallying apart," he says, "if there is a wish near 
my heart, it is this — that the Lord may abundantly 
bless you, to and with each other, making you truly 
help-meets for each other, and instruments of much 
good to the Church of God." 

Surrounded by such influences, it is not surprising 
that Mrs. Housman at an early age submitted her 
whole being — body, soul, and spirit — to the exclusive 
controul and guidance of religious principles; — the 



lxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



wonder would have been if she had not. Among her 
papers I have found a "Solemn Covenant and Self- 
Dedication to God," composed in her nineteenth year : it 
bears her seal,, is formally subscribed by her own 
hand, and is dated the 3rd of February 1787. On 
the 3rd of February 1837, exactly fifty years after she 
had deliberately consecrated her life and energies to 
the service of her Maker, she was carried to the 
grave. The conclusion of the document is as follows. 

" If any should see this my Covenant with thee, O 
God, may they make the engagement their own; 
willingly resigning themselves to thee; and do thou 
graciously accept them, and let them be partakers of 
thy Covenant, through Jesus the Mediator of it. Hear 
this my prayer, O God, for myself and for others, and 
keep me under thy guidance. Guide me in all things. 
Be my Helper in dangers ; my Deliverer in temptations ; 
my Comforter in afflictions ; my Strength in weakness ; 
my All in All, through life, and in death. 

"Thou art witness, O God, with myself, that I this 
day vow to be thine ; resolving, in thy strength, to live 
henceforth unto thee. I sign this my surrender with 
mine own hand; I seal it with mine own seal; and 
may the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, help me 
to fulfil the same."* 

* " Solid advantages, I believe," said Mr. Housman, forty three years later, 
" have been found in every age of the Church by covenanting with God : and if this 
be done under a due sense of weakness in ourselves, and under a strong reliance on 
the grace that is in Christ Jesus, to enable us to stand to the Covenant, I can have 
no doubt that the solemn transaction will be blessed. We shall remember, if we be 
tempted to start aside from the terms of our engagement, that the vows of God are 
upon us. The recollection, in the hour of trial, may excite a seasonable and godly 
fear in our souls, and keep us in the way everlasting. Let us, then, with simplicity 
and godly sincerity, and with much prayer for light and strength from the Lord, 
solemnly covenant with our God for two things ; — first, that we will daily be 
receiving, with thankful hearts, the redemption there is in Christ Jesus ; and, 
secondly, that through his grace enabling us, we will daily walk by that lovely 
rule of christian kindness given to the Colossians, chap. Hi. 12, 13, 14, 15. This 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. Ixix 

To be duly appreciated, Mrs. Housman, like many 
others of sterling worth, required to be intimately 
known. By those who knew her but slightly, she 
was often misunderstood, and accordingly underrated; 
by those who enjoyed her confidence, she was not less 
warmly beloved than ardently admired. As a wife, 
she was attentive and affectionate ; as a mother, full 
of the tenderest and most enduring attachment; as a 
friend, earnest, steady, and disinterested. A sincerer, 
more benevolent, more truly humble and fervent 
christian, never breathed. Her life was a uniform 
course of practical piety, ever active, ever self-denying. 
An opportunity of doing good assumed in her eyes the 
authority of a command to undertake the service. 
From morning to night, the year through, she was 
about her Father's business, performing her labours of 
love in a spirit of entire devotement to the will of 
heaven, and of implicit dependence upon divine aid. 
A quick imagination, great candour of heart and mind, 
uncompromising honesty of purpose, and determined 
will to execute it, fitted her, in a very uncommon 
degree, for the discharge of her numerous self-incurred 
and often harassing engagements; whilst a more than 
ordinary skill in discriminating minute and subtle diffe- 
rences of character, and in piercing the disguises of a 
hollow and treacherous world, protected her from the 
various artifices to which religious people (who can- 
not always boast the serpent's wisdom,) are so pecu- 
liarly exposed. To Mr. Housman, in his ministerial 
capacity, she proved invaluable. Profoundly respecting 
her principles, her understanding, and her judgment, 
he proposed to her all his doubts, and consulted her in 



will be to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things ; and may the 
God of love and peace so be with us, that it may be found written in the 
book of his remembrance at the last day, 'And they stood to the covenant.'" 



Ixx 



THE LIFE OF 



all his difficulties; and without her sanction he did 
Dothing. She possessed great influence over his mind, 
and exerted it, with unrelaxing consistency, to the glory 
of God and the happiness of men. How immensely the 
cause of pure and undefiled religion is indebted to the 
energetic instrumentality of this admirable woman, will 
be proclaimed with honour when the Lord Jehovah 
maketh up his jewels. 

The leaven of pharisaical bitterness is not soon exhaust- 
ed; and Mr. Housman had frequent opportunities of 
witnessing its uncharitable operations. During the nine 
years that elapsed between his departure from Lancaster 
and his final settlement there in 1795, he paid repeated 
visits to his family and friends. Upon these occasions, 
the pulpits of the Established Church, as well in 
the neighbourhood as in the town itself, were 
pertinaciously closed against him. The clergy of that 
day, however widely they might differ on some points, 
united to discountenance, and, if possible, to discourage, 
what they were pleased to call the "wild" and "metho- 
distical" views of one who presumptuously denied the 
meritorious efficacy of human works; who preached, 
after the manner of Paul, justification by faith alone; 
and who enforced, with a zeal and fervour which 
alarmed by their novelty, the absolute and unavoidable 
necessity of spiritual regeneration. "It hath been 
observed," says Dr. Witherspoon in his celebrated Essays, 
"that it is somewhat natural for clergymen to be more 
easily irritable at such of their brethren as rise above 
them in apparent concern for religion, and zeal for 
promoting it, than at those who fall below them. The 
first are a reproach to their own conduct and character ; 
the other are a foil to it. So that every one who 
espouses any bold or vigorous measures, may lay his 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. Ixxi 

account with a sensible coldness, even from such of his 
brethren as are in the next immediate degree below 
him." Mr. Housman bitterly felt the cruelty and the 
hardship of this unrelenting exclusion. At length, 
on one of his last occasional visits to Lancaster, 
his old tutor, the Rev. Mr. Watson, Chaplain to the 
County Jail, at the intercession of a mutual friend 
fearlessly broke through the clerical combination, 
and admitted him to the Castle pulpit. Here he 
frequently preached, and here he effected considerable 
good. By the manifestation of the truth he commended 
himself to the consciences of those whom the violated 
laws of their country had consigned to an awful and 
ignominious destiny ; and in a great number of instances 
became the honoured instrument of turning them from 
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. 
In after years, under the pressing sense of the impor- 
tance of the duty, he devoted much time to the unhappy 
inmates of the County Jail; diligently instructing 
them in the principles of religion; praying with them, 
and for them, and teaching them to pray ; and directing 
their awakened faith to the Hope of Israel, who came 
to preach glad tidings to the meek, to bind up the 
broken-hearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, 
the recovery of sight to the blind, and the opening of 
the prison to those that are bound. 

In the year 1792 Mr. Housman undertook the after- 
noon Lecture at the large and ancient church of St. 
Martin, Leicester. "This service," says the Rev. 
Thomas Webster,* to whom I am obliged for the 
information, "is usually supplied by the Confrater or 
Chaplain of Wigston's Hospital in that town; and the 



* Vicar of Oakington, Rector of St. Botolph's, and late Fellow of Queen's 
College, Cambridge. 



lxxii 



THE LIFE OF 



then Confrater, the Rev. Thomas Ludlam, being of 
infirm health and advanced in years,, had solicited the 
Rev. Mr. Robinson to procure for him a suitable assis- 
tant. A more judicious choice could scarcely have 
been made." "Mr. Housman was then," continues Mr. 
Webster, "in the prime and flower of his days. His 
sentiments were decidedly accordant with those of our 
Church, his style was eloquent, and his mode of delivery 
highly impressive, though his voice was scarcely equal 
to the immense church in which he was called 
to labour.* Here, however, he was attended by a 
numerous and highly respectable congregation." 

The alarming symptoms of consumption which had 
occasioned his retirement from Markfield having now 
subsided, he became Mr. Ludlam's curate at Foston, a 
small village seven miles from Leicester, the living 
being annexed to St. Martin's. To his new cure, 
which had only one service, he used to walk every 
Sunday morning, and, having done the duty, walk back 
again to preach at St. Martin's. He was greatly 
beloved at Foston ; and I am informed, on the authority 
of a very old woman who lived in the same house 
with him as Mrs. Adams's maid, that many of the 
villagers, deeply impressed by his affectionate and faith- 
ful ministrations, made a point of regularly repairing to 
Leicester to hear him in an afternoon. 

The Rev. Thomas Ludlam was the author of several 
works which commanded attention in their day.f A 
few years previous to the publication of his "Four 
Essays on the ordinary and extraordinary operations of 
the Holy Spirit," a friendly correspondence took place 

* In a letter to me Mr. Webster says — " He used to express a wish that he had 
Mr. Scott's lungs, who, though asthmatic, could be heard without difficulty at 
St. Mary's." 

f Copious accounts of Mr. Ludlam will be found in Vaughan's Life of 
Robinson of Leicester. 



THE REV R. HOUSMAN. 



lxxiii 



between him and Mr. Housman on the subject. Of this 
correspondence,, which appears to have been begun by 
Mr. Housman, probably in consequence of some con- 
versational discussion of the points at issue, the follow- 
ing interesting letter is the only relic in my possession. 

DEAR SIR, 

If, after the perusal of the papers which I took the 
liberty of putting into your hands, you do not know 
what I mean, I despair, by any subsequent declaration, 
of making myself understood. After proving from 
Scripture the reality of Divine Illumination, I proceeded 
to state, as explicitly as I knew how, its nature. But 
that I may not appear to shrink from a full discussion 
of the subject, I will endeavour to return " a clear 
answer" to the proposed queries. 

I. "Does the illumination you suppose convey know- 
ledge to the mind, without the intervention of human 
means ? w 

That this is sometimes the case there can be no 
doubt. Colonel Gardiner, while waiting for the mo- 
ment of assignation when he might indulge in adulter- 
ous commerce, had instantaneously such clear and 
affecting perceptions of Divine purity and justice, as 
threw him upon his knees to adore these glorious 
perfections in God, though he expected every mo- 
ment to be cast down to hell.* These new perceptions 
of the character of God, accompanied by correspondent 
affections, and succeeded by a holy consistency of con- 
duct, would constrain, one might imagine, even an 
avowed infidel to cry out, "All this" (both the light 
first communicated, and the moral change effected) "all 
this hath God wrought," without the intervention of 



* See the Life of Colonel Gardiner, by Dr. Doddridge, 
k 



lxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



human means. But, generally speaking, the enlight- 
ening agency of the Spirit must be prayed for and 
expected, while we consult and meditate upon the 
written, or attend upon the preached, word of God. 
So David, while perusing the Scriptures, breathed out 
his supplications, "Open thou mine eyes," &c. 

II. "Does this illumination convey such knowledge 
as men cannot acquire by the use of their natural 
faculties?" 

Most certainly. A merely natural, or, if you please, • 
an animal or sensual man, may be convinced that cer- 
tain doctrines are contained in the Bible, as well as 
that certain facts are recorded there. For instance: 
he may be persuaded that the Goodness of God, the 
Atonement of Christ, the Influences of the Spirit, &c. 
are doctrines which the Bible contains, and he may 
talk about and defend these doctrines with ingenuity 
and zeal; and all this knowledge may be acquired by 
the use of the natural faculties. The man who goes 
no further than this, will "hold the truth in unrighte- 
ousness." But the intrinsic nature, properties, excel- 
lences, or glory, of these truths, must be spiritually 
discerned (1. Cor. ii. 14.); yea, they can only be dis- 
cerned by the enlightening agency of the Holy Ghost. 
The views thus obtained, are transforming (2. Cor. iii. 
18). It is Deity alone, if an apostle may be credited, 
who can "shine into our hearts, to give the light of 
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of 
Jesus Christ." It is "an unction from the Holy One" 
which thus teacheth. (1. John ii. 20. 27.) 

III. "Do the persons to whom this illumination is 
vouchsafed, know the precise truths which are thus 
conveyed, from those which are acquired by the ordi- 
nary means appointed for the attainment of it V 

Is not this query intended as a puzzle ? It is 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



lxxv 



certainly enveloped in darkness. If I understand any- 
thing at all of the grammatical construction of sen- 
tences, the pronoun "it" refers to, and is put for, 
"illumination." Substitute, then, this word, and see 
how the whole will read. "Do the persons to whom 
this illumination is vouchsafed, know the precise truths 
which are thus conveyed, from those which are acquired 
by the ordinary means appointed for the attainment of 
illumination'?" As the sentence is altogether unintelli- 
gible, at least to me, I must be content to pass over it. 

IV. "Do the persons to whom knowledge is thus 
conveyed, know at what precise time such knowledge 
is conveyed to them"?" 

Colonel Gardiner knew the precise time. But, to 
speak generally; — if a man knows and feels the doc- 
trine of original or birth-sin, as our article expresses 
it; if he knows and feels that this sin has pervaded 
every faculty, has blinded the understanding, as well 
as corrupted the heart; if he knows, from many a 
fruitless experiment, that he can neither sanctify the 
latter nor enlighten the former; and if, while waiting 
upon God in the ways of his appointment, he has 
such views of his glory as excite reverence, admiration, 
and love; such views of the excellency and loveliness 
of the Saviour (Cantic. v. 16), as lead to dependence, 
gratitude, peace, and joy ; such views of the evil and 
hatefulness of sin, as make him " abhor himself, and 
repent in dust and ashes;" the conclusion is obvious — 
he may and does know the precise time, &c. In 
less favoured seasons, the spiritual light he receives 
may be so faint in degree, and the darkness of his 
own mind so great and oppressive, that he may be 
only able to say with the apostle (though upon a very 
different occasion), "1 think also that I have the 
Spirit of God." 



Ixxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



V. "Do all illuminated persons .agree -precisely in the 
truths so conveyed'?" 

Divine teaching, generally speaking, is analogous to 
other operations of God: that is, it is progressive. 
The babe in Christ may only have very faint percep- 
tions of gospel truths. He has seen so much of sin 
as to be humbled before his God, and so much of the 
Eedeemer as to fly for refuge to the hope set before 
him. He is then in a state of safety. As he goes 
on towards his eternal home, he will, if humble, dili- 
gent, and faithful to light received, see more clearly 
what he has already seen truly; and he will make 
fresh discoveries. Darknsss will become light before 
him, and crooked things straight. He will, to use 
a very plain metaphor, be removed from form to 
form in the school of Christ. If, then, there be 
different degrees of advancement in divine knowledge, 
even in the same person at different times, there may 
be expected to be fa fortiori] different degrees of ad- 
vancement in different persons. The " Spirit of Truth" 
will not and cannot, in his operations, contradict him- 
self; but he may and does bestow his blessings, ordinary 
as well as extraordinary, upon " every man, severally 
as he will." Sooner or later, all who are "taught of 
God " will agree precisely in three particulars. They 
will be reproved, or convinced, of sin (John xvi. 8). 
They will know, and have exalted views of the Saviour, 
(1 John v. 20 ; Ephes. i. 17 ; John vi. 44 ; John xvi. 14 
— this promise was not made exclusively to the apostles ; 
Christ's disciples were of the number of those 
who were addressed.) They will know, and have high 
and honourable thoughts of the character of God. 
(Heb. viii. 11 ; 2 Cor. iv. 6.) 

It is nowhere promised that the Holy Spirit will 
teach us whether adult or infant baptism, whether 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



lxxvii 



sitting or kneeling at the Sacrament, whether this or 
the other form of Church Government, be most agree- 
able to the will of God. These points, and various 
others which might be mentioned, relate only to the 
externals of religion ; but humility, faith, love, gratitude, 
(or, in other words, the very life and existence of 
religion in the soul), depending upon a proper know- 
ledge of Sin, Christ, and the character of God, the 
perception of these, by the agency of the Spirit, is 
particularly promised, and experienced by all true 
christians. I don't say, and I don't think, that the 
three particulars alluded to are the only points in 
which christians of a long standing in the school of 
Christ are perfectly agreed; but, as I have spoken 
sufficiently in answer to the query, I need not proceed. 

VI. "Is there any difference between this illu- 
mination, and the inspiration vouchsafed to the 
apostles V 

As I have stated my views, fairly and explicitly, 
upon the subject of Illumination by the Spirit (as it 
respects private Christians,) and as the nature or 
extent of the inspiration vouchsafed to the apostles 
forms no part of our inquiry, I decline answering the 
query. I decline it, not because of any difficulty in 
the case, but because the question is altogether irrele- 
vant. We will, if you please, keep closely to the 
point, and exclude all extraneous matter. We will 
inquire. 

1. Whether there be such a thing as illumination by 
the Spirit. And 

2. If there be, what is the nature of this illumina- 
tion? 

The positive proofs which I have brought from 
the Bible in favour of my sentiments, will, I trust, be 
fully considered seriatim; and if I am wrong, my errors 



lxxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



will be pointed out by the usual rules of fair and 
candid criticism. I remain, dear Sir, yours most res- 
pectfully, Robert Housman. 

P. S. — As I have not a copy of what I send, I will 
thank you to return these papers when you have done 
with them. 

This letter is consistent with all his after views. 
Throughout life he laid great stress upon the office of 
the Holy Ghost as a perpetually ordained revealer of 
the things of Christ — regarding the point, not as one 
of mere speculative curiosity, properly belonging to a 
former age, but as one of practical moment, directly 
bearing upon the question of personal holiness, in all 
its various departments and modes of manifestation. 
To the agency of the Holy Spirit in bestowing the 
faculty of a just and true contemplation of the objects 
of revelation — in giving power to discern what has 
been already presented for discernment — Mr. Housman 
was constantly referring. t( The Holy Ghost," he 
says, in a letter to his daughter Mrs. Prichard in 1824, 
" reveals no new truths; he opens the understanding to 
behold the importance and excellence of what is al- 
ready revealed ;''-r-and some years previous, in a sermon 
on the Influences of the Holy Spirit, the necessity of 
an application of those influences to the understanding, 
without exception of intellectual or educational differ- 
ences and distinctions, is thus explicitly declared. 

"The Word of God is clear and full in all its 
doctrines, motives, encouragements, and precepts. Every- 
thing necessary to salvation is there revealed; and the 
revelation is so humbling, holy, and glorious, as to 
prove its author to be God. But the mind, by 
nature, is in a state of blindness. The objects are 
presented before it, but it wants the power of percep- 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



lxxix 



tion : " there is none that under standeth." The light 
shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth 
it not. 'The natural man receiveth not the things 
of the Spirit of God, hut they are foolishness unto 
him; neither can he know them, because they are 
spiritually discerned! The former part of this scrip- 
ture teaches us our total ignorance by nature; the 
latter part proclaims the remedy which is provided of 
God. It is the Holy Spirit which removes the veil 
from the mind, and which enlightens it to perceive the 
truth, value, and excellence, of the salvation of God. 
Human abilities and human learning, though in other 
respects useful, are here of no avail. The unlearned 
man and the philosopher are exactly upon a level. 
Each of them, by nature, knows not the Lord; but 
both of them, if both alike are taught of God, have 
the same views of his glory, of the sinfulness of sin, 
of the love and redemption of Jesus, of the beauty of 
holiness, of the insufficiency of all earthly things to 
form the happiness of the soul, and of the all-sufficiency 
of the blessing and presence of a reconciled God." 

In 1792 Mr. Housman preached a series of sermons, 
I believe in the Church of St. Martin, upon select 
names and titles ascribed in the Word of God to 
Jesus Christ. They were published in a neat volume 
in the year 1793, by Messrs. Scatcherd and Whitaker, 
Ave Maria Lane, London, and were intended, I pre- 
sume, since the title-page bears the designation of 
Vol. I, to be succeeded by a second. It was probably 
owing to his retirement from Leicester shortly after 
the publication of these discourses, and to the numerous 
engagements consequent upon his residence in Lan- 
caster, that the continuation of the work was arrested. 
The following pages contain one of the six sermons 



lxxx 



THE LIFE OF 



comprised in the volume.* It displays considerable 
copiousness of diction, in a style much more ambitious 
and oratorical than that of his later life; but the 
doctrinal principles which distinguish it are precisely 
those which characterized his preaching during the 
whole of his long and faithful ministry 1 at St. Anne's. 
It is somewhat remarkable, that the sermon delivered 
at St. John's in 1786, bears a far closer resemblance, 
in respect of style, to the discourses published fifty 
years subsequently, -j* than any which he composed in 
the interval between his departure from Lancaster in 
the former of these years, and his final settlement in 
it in 1795. 

Immediately before this event, and indeed whilst 
preparing for it, he preached an eloquent sermon on 
the principles and extent of christian benevolence, 
before the Governors of the Leicester Infirmary and 
Lunatic Asylum, at their Anniversary Meeting, Sep- 
tember 1794. For this discourse, upon the composi- 
tion of which he seems to have bestowed peculiar 
care, and with eminent success, the thanks of the 
Governors, among whom were some of the most influ- 
ential characters in the county, were voted; the motion 
for this deserved and gratifying testimony of approba- 
tion, which was formally transmitted to Mr. Housman 
by the Secretary, being made by the learned and 
reverend Archdeacon of Leicester. The sermon was 
published in quarto, by Matthews of the Strand, and 
by Scatcherd and Whitaker, of Ave-Maria Lane, Lon- 
don, and was dedicated to the Earl of Stamford, the 
President, to the Vice-Presidents, the Bishop of Peter- 
borough, the Visitor, and to the Governors of the In- 

* Sermon II. 

t Sermons preached at St. Anne's, Lancaster, by the Rev. R. Housman, A.B. 
Seeley: 1836. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



lxxxi 



stitution,. in behalf of which it had been delivered. 
It afterwards obtained the commendation of his 
Diocesan, the celebrated Bishop Tomline. To these facts 
Mr. Housman felt himself constrained to allude, in a 
publication which will be found in a succeeding page, 
when assailed, a few months later, by the calumnies 
of his native town. 

Writing to an attached and valued friend in 1823, 
he observes; — "A poor sparrow cannot fall without 
divine permission; nor can a sermon, upon gospel-prin- 
ciples, be preached, but at the right time, and to the 
right persons." His own individual experience seemed 
to justify this conviction. His ministry abounded with 
instances respecting which it might be said, without 
the slightest tincture of superstition or fanaticism, "Be- 
hold what God hath wrought!" I remember one, of 
a remarkable nature. At the close of a sermon which he 
had been delivering in St. Mary's, two persons, a man 
and a woman, lingered in the church after the rest of 
the congregation had departed, and, evidently under the 
influence of extreme mental anguish, besought him to 
favour them with a few minutes' conversation. For 
many years they had tried the merciful patience of 
their Maker by persisting in a course of most profligate 
adultery; but, incidentally stepping into St. Mary's, 
the words of the preacher, as he solemnly reasoned of 
righteousness, and temperance, and judgment to come, 
suddenly convicted them of sin ; they were pricked to 
the heart; their iniquity appeared intolerable; and, stung 
by the sense of their great transgressions, they resolved 
to separate that very day, and to turn unto the Lord. 
Their penitence, so strikingly awakened, was sincere; 
they renounced their vices ; they sought pardon and 

1 



lxxxii 



THE LIFE OF 



grace, through fervent and persevering prayer; the 
chain which had tied and bound them gave way; 
they became new creatures, and walked in newness of 
life, "adorning the doctrine of God their Saviour in 
all things." 

The history of Susan Ward, already adverted to, 
presents another instance, and a very interesting . one, 
of the efficacious instrumentality of Mr. Housman's 
ministerial exhortations, in suddenly removing ignorance 
the most profound, and informing with light and love- 
liness the dark and desolate mind. Whilst taking a morn- 
ing walk in the picturesque vicinity of Langton, he 
beheld this poor woman sitting under a hedge near a 
sheep-fold, inhaling, for the supposed benefit of her 
health, the pure and pleasant breath of the sheep. 
Seeing that she was suffering under the influence of a 
somewhat rapid consumption, he opened a conversation, 
and introduced, by natural and imperceptible transitions, 
the solemn subject that lay so near his heart. The 
ignorance of Susan Ward was deplorable; she scarcely 
knew that she possessed a soul, and of course knew 
nothing of the evil of sin or the glory of salvation. 
Her debility, from indisposition, was extreme; she 
was unable, without great difficulty, succeeded by 
corresponding exhaustion, to bear a part in conversa- 
tion; and a man whose faith was weaker than Mr. 
Housman's, would have regarded her case as absolutely 
hopeless. But with God all things are possible. His 
word, like a hammer, breaketh the hard rock in pieces, 
and sometimes at a single blow. The wretched invalid 
was intreated to pray that God would teach her; and 
that most encouraging promise, "If any of you lack 
wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men 
liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him," 
was presented, again and again, to her notice. Susan 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



lxxxiii 



listened with deep attention to all that she had heard, 
and was enabled to pray for divine assistance. "Her 
petitions/' continues the unpretending narrative which 
commemorates her short but profitable story, "were 
answered. She discovered all she wanted. The Lord 
appears to have enlightened her mind in an unusual 
degree ; compassionating her as she lay on the borders 
of eternity." In about six weeks, during which she 
was repeatedly visited by the friend whom a kind and 
ever watchful Providence had raised up in her season 
of need, she spoke on religious subjects like one who 
had been acquainted with them for years; and Mr. 
Housman has often been heard to declare, both in 
public and private, that from the lips of this poor un- 
educated dying woman, so lately in a state of awful 
spiritual insensibility, he received some of the most 
precious instructions of his life. " She could discourse," 
it is thus he writes of her, "with a knowledge and a 
feeling concerning redemption, which were both affec- 
ting and astonishing. A delightful savour of godliness 
ran through all she said. A heavenly glow of peace 
and love beamed upon her countenance. Her eyes 
had seen the salvation of Grod, and she was anxious 
and eager that those around her should likewise behold 
the 'great sight.' In a word, she was 'born again,' 
and all the graces of the new creature appeared and 
triumphed in her experience." Almost the last words 
she uttered were in reference to the honoured instru- 
ment of her conversion. "Give my love to him," she 
exclaimed, "and tell him I shall meet him in heaven. 
Oh! thank him for all he has done for me!" 



In Leicestershire, we have seen, Mr. Housman had 
acquired a solid reputation, and was accomplishing great 



lxxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



good. At Langton, notwithstanding a little opposition 
at first, his labours had been owned of God; in the 
churches of St. Mary and St. Martin he had preached 
successfully to immense congregations ; Markfield, though 
an unpromising sphere of exertion, exhibited ample 
evidences of the efficiency of his ministrations; and at 
Foston the work of salvation was prospering under his 
hands. More than this, and what to some men would 
have been better, his society was courted and apprecia- 
ted by the powerful and the rich, and fair prospects of 
preferment opened before him. But an entire change 
of circumstance and situation drew nigh. The attach- 
ment he had invariably felt for his native place, seemed 
to be deepened and strengthened during a visit which 
his wife and he paid in the summer of 1794 to his 
parents; to the aid of this attachment came the 
melancholy sense of the gross spiritual darkness in 
which its inhabitants lay; and he determined, not 
without much deliberation and many fervent prayers, 
to abandon the beloved scene of his labours in the 
south, to build a Church of his own in Lancaster, and 
to preach in it himself. The idea of this bold and 
benevolent design was first conceived by Mrs. Housman, 
on the morning of their departure from Lune Bank, as 
they stopped upon the highest part of The Greaves 
to take a final look at the picturesque town and the 
magnificent landscape that forms its background. Eager 
to realize a project which he believed the Almighty 
had sanctioned and blessed, he made immediate arrange- 
ments for leaving Leicester ; revisited his parents at the 
close of that year, with a view of carrying his under- 
taking into effect ; and in the autumn of the ensuing year 
(1795) took up his permanent residence in Lancaster, 
at one of the houses at the eastern end of the New 
Bridge. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 1XXXV 



The Bishop of the Diocese, Dr. Cleaver, and the 
Vicar of Lancaster, Mr. White, having signified, in the 
politest terms, their approbation of Mr. Housman's 
design of building a new Church — on the 19th of 
December 1794 printed proposals were issued for the 
erection of St. Anne's. The hostility so uncharitably 
exhibited against him on the publication of his sermon 
on the principal doctrines of the Gospel, assumed a 
more threatening and formidable aspect at this important 
juncture. A meeting, which consisted of most of the 
wealthy and influential inhabitants of Lancaster, was 
held in the Town Hall on the 1st of January in the 
succeeding year, for the purpose of considering the 
propriety of building within the township, notoriously 
in opposition to Mr. Housman's, a new Church or 
Chapel, of which the curate of the parish church, the 
Rev. Wm. Colton, A. M. was intended to be the first 
minister. In pursuance of a resolution passed at this 
meeting, a subscription was opened to promote its general 
object; and at another meeting, held on the 7th 
of the same month, and in the same place, the Com- 
mittee reported that the unexpectedly large sum of four 
thousand two hundred pounds had been subscribed 
already. Such was the zeal of our forefathers in op- 
posing evangelical religion. 

Though naturally a timid and retiring man, Mr. 
Housman possessed a large amount of moral courage, 
and was unflinching in a good cause. Intrepidity was 
as much a part of his character as meekness : in fact, 
real meekness, which is christian principle in a state 
of repose, implies intrepidity. Nothing could daunt 
him when he felt that he was right. These unholy 
tactics, accordingly, neither disheartened nor dismayed 
him. His face was made strong against the faces of 
his adversaries, and his forehead strong against theirs. 



lxxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



His project was not a thing of a week. Having 
been deliberately considered, and repeatedly commended 
to divine favour in earnest and believing prayer, it was 
but little likely to be superseded by a scheme which 
began in bitterness and was continued in spite. He 
knew whom he trusted. His enemies, meanwhile, 
with determined pertinacity, did their worst. Vitupe- 
ration, a ready and an easy argument, was resorted 
to. On the one hand, his doctrines were pronounced 
to be of antinomian tendency ; on the other, he was 
accused of carrying holiness to a needless extent. 
The unsullied sanctity of his life provoked as much 
anger as his theology. He was adjudged guilty of 
being "righteous over much." Methodism, the fashion- 
able slander of the day, was unscrupulously laid to his 
charge; and attempts were made, by an unsparing use 
of this absurd but then most powerful calumny, to 
render him contemptible in the estimation of his friends, 
and to deter them from countenancing an undertaking 
which promised nothing but scorn, ridicule, and perse- 
cution, to all who gave it their support. In justice 
to them, no less than to himself, Mr. Housman issued 
an Address, of which the following is a copy. It was 
printed as a placard, and posted on the walls. 

To the Gentlemen who have encouraged the design of 
building a new church, to be called St. Anne's, in the 
town of Lancaster. 

January 17, 1795. 

GENTLEMEN, 

The peculiar nature of the opposition which the 
scheme you have so generously countenanced has met 
with, seems to require from me an explicit avowal of 
my religious principles. 

Popular clamour, by what means and for what 
purposes excited I forbear to inquire, has determined 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



lxxxvii 



that I am a methodist. A harsh name will weigh 
nothing with those who prefer argument to invective, 
and proof to assertion. If they who have applied, had 
condescended to define, the term — if, with that precision 
and accuracy which accusers should study, and the 
accused may demand, they had affixed any clear and 
determinate ideas to the approbrious word, and had 
favoured the world with a publication of those ideas, I 
would instantly have acknowledged or denied the justice 
of the appropriation of the stigma. I know but of 
one sect of christians who choose to adopt the appella- 
tion, viz. the followers of the late Mr. Wesley ; but he 
surely must be a babe in theological controversy, who, 
after a perusal of my publications, cannot discover a 
considerable disparity in our sentiments. 

Having, therefore, to obviate a charge, which, from 
a want of due specification, may imply anything or 
nothing, according to the different fancies and prejudices 
of those who hear it, the proper and only mode of 
vindication appears to be the following. If to believe, 
according to the plain, obvious, and grammatical con- 
struction of language, every Article which I have 
subscribed, and to frame my doctrinal discourses in 
strict conformity to this scriptural system of faith ; if 
to admire, defend, and bow to, the discipline of that* 
Church of which I am a Minister ; if to have obtained, 
upon a late occasion, the most unqualified testimony to 
my principles and conduct, from clergymen equally 
eminent for extensive learning, acute penetration, and 
inviolable integrity, and among whom I have long re- 
sided; if to have recently received for a discourse (in 
which my religious and political sentiments were 
accurately stated,) the thanks of the first characters in 
the county where I dwell ; if to have had these thanks 
moved by a personage no less respectable than the 



lxxxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



learned and reverend Archdeacon of Leicester, and 
sanctioned, if I may so speak, by the subsequent 
approbation of my present Diocesan ; if, in the discharge 
of my ministerial office, to endeavour, with anxiety and 
earnestness, to instruct the ignorant, reclaim the aban- 
doned, and to bring all who hear me not only to 
possess, but to feel the influence of, that religion which 
can divorce them from the vices, support them under 
the sorrows, elevate them above the allurements, and 
carry them with composure, confidence, and joy, through 
the closing scene of this world; — if this statement, or 
any part of it, betrays the features of Methodism, I 
am constrained to allow the charge : but if it consist in 
anything, either incompatible or uncongenial with what 
has been alleged, I reject the imputation, as equally 
illiberal, injurious, and unjust. 

I rely with confidence upon your candour, to excuse 
anything I have said, which may wear the appearance 
of an ostentatious display of the various and unequivocal 
testimonials with which I have been lately honoured. 
Nothing but the imperious law of necessity — nothing 
but an assurance that the effects of misrepresentation 
could not, at present, be adequately counteracted by 
any different mode of vindication — should have extorted 
from me a sentence which, in the judgment of enmity 
itself, should bear the remotest affinity to self-adulation. 

I remain, gentlemen, with respect and gratitude, your 
most obedient servant, 

R. Housman. 

Notwithstanding the four thousand two hundred pounds 
so promptly subscribed, Mr. Colton's church was never 
built. The sudden abandonment of the design, of 
which I can find no trace beyond the second meeting 
on the 7th of January, leads me to believe that it had 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



lxxxix 



been originally propounded with a view of intimidating 
Mr. Housman, and of ridding the town of one whose 
strict doctrinal principles and eminent personal holiness 
rendered him an object of dislike to the indifferent 
and the ungodly. I lament my inability to impute a 
better motive. 

The wretched spirit in which this project had its 
origin, long survived the scheme itself. Mr. Housman's 
letter did much to confirm the generous sympathy of 
his old friends, and to make some new ones, but it 
failed to allay the vindictive temper of his enemies, 
and perhaps tended to exasperate it. Among the most 
active, as well as most virulent opponents of his dis- 
interested undertaking, were two clergymen and several 
members of the Corporation. To such lengths indeed 
did that venerable body carry its anti-evangelical ire, 
as actually to send a deputation to Dr. Cleaver, Bishop 
of Chester, in order, if possible, to prevail upon his 
lordship to withhold his license from St. Anne's. The 
bishop, however, having read and approved the very 
sermon which had so needlessly stirred up the unrighte- 
ous wrath of the self-styled "orthodox," refused to 
comply with the suggestions of the deputation, and 
accordingly licensed the obnoxious place of worship. 
St. Anne's was completed in 1795, and consecrated by 
the Bishop of Chester on the 23rd of August in the 
following year. A few days prior to this event Mr. 
Housman had received from Mr. Robinson of Leicester 
a letter of affectionate encouragement. te I have had 
pleasure," says that admirable man, "in hearing of your 
welfare, through various channels, and hope soon to 
be assured that the Lord has opened for you a great 
door and effectual, though there be many adversaries. 
Your friends and people make frequent inquiries after 

m 



xc 



THE LIFE OF 



you. May our gracious God bless you and yours 
abundantly, and give you wisdom, strength, and zeal, 
for your present important post." How completely these 
fervent wishes were fulfilled, is matter of notoriety. 
On the 14th of August, ten days previous to the day 
of consecration, Mr. Housman delivered his first dis- 
course in the new chapel, from Ephesians iv. 15; and 
continued, with but partial interruptions, for a term of 
nearly forty years, to preach twice every Lord's day. 
For a considerable length of time too — as long indeed 
as bodily health permitted — he had a monthly and a 
weekly lecture ; for many years he was in the habit 
of catechising the children and addressing the young 
people of the congregation once a week ; and down to 
the date of his resignation of St. Anne's, invariably held 
a Sabbath Evening Prayer-Meeting in the school-room 
connected with that chapel, and expounded the Holy 
Scriptures in a familiar way, for the especial instruction 
of the poorer classes. Of these meetings, one of the 
distinguishing features of which was that the devotions 
of the assembly were led by laymen, Mr. Housman 
was exceedingly fond of speaking; he always looked 
forward to them with unaffected delight, and remembered 
them with a pleasure and a satisfaction which it was 
truly gratifying to behold. It was here, he used to 
say, he believed his ministry to have been most eminently 
blessed. None who have heard him on these interest- 
ing occasions, can ever forget the simplicity and fervour 
of his manner — for he seemed to be invigorated rather 
than exhausted by the labours of the day; the plain 
and powerful language in which he conveyed to his 
humble audience the cheering truths of the Gospel; 
the deep and paternal affection which he could not 
refrain from expressing towards those by whom he was 
surrounded. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



XCl 



In building St. Anne's Mr. Housman was generously 
assisted by William Wilberforce, Esq., John Thornton, 
Esq., M. P., William Wilson Carus Wilson, Esq., of 
Casterton, and his old friend, the Rev. Charles Simeon. 
Mr. Wilberforce contributed twenty pounds, and Mr. 
Thornton fifty. Mr. Wilberforce, moreover, for many 
years presented Mrs. Housman with a donation of £5, 
in aid of the Sunday School in connexion with the 
Chapel. At what particular period Mr. Housman and 
the venerable friend of Negro Emancipation became 
acquainted I am unable to say, but they occasionally 
corresponded during a period of upwards of five and 
twenty years. That Mr. Wilberforce entertained for 
the minister of St. Anne's a very profound regard, may 
be inferred from the following passage in a letter to a 
mutual friend. " It is quite sufficient" he writes " for 
me to know that the project has Mr. Housman's sanc- 
tion and support. His approbation is a satisfactory 
guarantee; and when I know that he has bestowed it, 
I need ask no more." The respect was reciprocated. 
Mr. Housman has deliberately recorded his opinion of 
"The Practical View of Christianity" in these terms. 
"This invaluable book deserves, next to the Bible, the 
serious and frequent perusal of those who would see, 
on the one hand, a complete exposure of some prevail- 
ing and destructive errors in the religious system of 
many professed christians, and who would obtain, on 
the other, a clear and consistent view of real holi- 
ness, flowing from its legitimate and only source, the 
doctrines and principles of the Gospel." "There are 
but a few books," he used to say in familiar conversation, 
" that deserve to stand upon the same shelf with the 
Bible; and one of them is — Wilberforce's Practical 
View." 

Before he came to reside permanently in Lancaster, 



XCll 



THE LIFE OF 



Mr. Housman frequently indulged in extempore preach- 
ing, in which, I am told, he was uncommonly success- 
ful. The practice was discontinued in deference to the 
absurd prejudices of his fellow-townsmen, to whom the 
delivery of an unwritten sermon, in a chapel without 
a steeple or a spire, would have appeared, forty five years 
ago, (however ridiculous the statement may seem now), 
an enormity of unpardonable greatness. Accordingly, 
in compliance with these prejudices, his pulpit discourses 
at St. Anne's were almost invariably committed to paper. 
I have not met with more than twenty or thirty ma- 
nuscripts, perhaps scarcely so many, which are incom- 
plete. His first extempore effort was at St. James's 
in Warrington. The Rev. Mr. Glazebrook, at whose 
house he was staying, had repeatedly urged him to 
put away his book, and trust to a careful and diligent 
preliminary consideration of his subject, to his exten- 
sive and accurate acquaintance with the contents of the 
word of God, and to the aid of the blessed Spirit 
which was never yet denied to such as earnestly desired 
and sought it. Against the entreaties of his excellent 
friend he pleaded unconquerable timidity, and upon 
one occasion expressed a very positive persuasion , that 
he should never be induced to preach extempore until 
he unexpectedly found himself in the pulpit without a 
sermon. Mrs. Glazebrook, who was present, determined 
he should try; and on the following Sunday contrived 
to abstract the precious manuscript from his pocket. 
The experiment was a dangerous one, but it answered. 
Mrs. Glazebrook, shocked at what she had done, caught 
the preacher's eye just as the hymn before sermon was 
concluding, and perceived, from his flushed and discon- 
certed countenance, that he had discovered the treachery, 
and was suffering painfully from the perplexity of his 
situation. With a composure and dignity of manner 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



xciii 



which indicated an utter freedom from all embarrassment, 
he announced his text, and, after a brief pause, began 
and continued a faithful and searching address, in a 
spirit of the most admirable self-possession. 

One Sunday morning Mr. Glazebrook expected him 
to preach at St. James's, but as the hour when he 
ought to have made -his appearance came and went 
without him, Mr. Glazebrook was obliged to perform 
the whole of the service himself. At the end of the 
sermon, confident that his young friend, if not hindered 
by insurmountable causes, would redeem his pledge, 
he informed his congregation "that Mr. Housman, 
with whom they were well acquainted, would be among 
them shortly," and proposed that they should occupy 
the time until his arrival by singing a hymn. In the 
midst of the singing, the belated minister, who had 
been delayed on the road by the breaking down of his 
gig, ascended the pulpit which Mr. Glazebrook had 
vacated, and, not knowing that one sermon had been 
preached already, proceeded to declare the message of 
salvation to an attentive and delighted assembly. 

Besides the trials previously enumerated, Mr. Housman 
had other crosses to endure. He had to suffer personal 
indignities of various kinds. He became the subject 
of ridicule to old and young; the object of sneers, and 
laughter, and averted looks, and ribald criticism, and 
vulgar slander, and indecent contempt. Like his bless- 
ed Master, he was a sign to be spoken against. His 
name, though written in the Lamb's book of life, was 
a proverb, a bye-word, and a reproach. I have more 
than once heard him declare that the gentlemen 
of Lancaster (there were some honourable exceptions) 
when they saw him coming along the street, would 



XC1V 



THE LIFE OF 



pass over to the opposite side, avoiding him as a 
pest; and an eye-witness of the transaction informs 
me, that upon the occasion of an Episcopal Visitation 
in the parish church, (the evils of enthusiasm being 
the substance of the " Charge ") the assembled clergy 
shunned his presence with pharisaical pride, and stood 
aloof from the despised but holy minister. What were 
these things to Mr. Housman % That he keenly felt 
them is true, for he carried about him a human heart ; 
but he thought of all his Saviour had felt for him, 
and, firm in his allegiance to the principle of trust in 
that Saviour's aid, bore up patiently against his 
cruel persecutions. The future rewarded both his pa- 
tience and his trust. 

A few years subsequent to the period referred to in 
the preceding paragraph, Mr. Housman printed and 
published the beautiful sermon entitled "The New 
Creation." This discourse occasioned uncommon mer- 
riment among certain of his reverend brethren. One 
of these persons, a well beneficed rector and pluralist, 
when he wished to be particularly entertaining used to 
take up what he scoffingly called " Housman's Creation," 
and, amid peals of laughter, read it aloud to his friends. 
He does not appear to have remembered the words of 
an apostle — "If any man be in Christ, he is a new 
Creature." * 

The obloquy thus poured upon the Minister of St. 
Anne's, was far from being confined to him: it extend- 
ed to his congregation. The reproach of Christ was 
upon them as well as on their pastor. They too were 
sneered at as methodists and fanatics; and they too, 

* The predecessor of this avaricious pastor informed his daughter, from whose 
lips I have the statement, that if she persisted in going to hear Mr. Housman, he 
would "break every bone in her skin." This menace failed of its intended 
effect. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



XCV 



for Christ's sake, contemned the sneers. To be "one 
of St. Anne's " was to be one upon whom disreputable 
suspicions of all kinds might rest with impunity ; it 
was to be a canting hypocrite, a disloyal subject, a 
disaffected sectarian in disguise. St. Anne's was called 
ss the hot-bed of Dissent/' and the glory or the shame of 
the imputation attached of course to all who sat within 
its walls. These were doubtless hard trials; but they 
drew the bond of affection that subsisted between Mr. 
Housman and his people closer and tighter, and acted 
as powerful incitements to that untiring energy and 
harmonious co-operation which made St. Anne's what it 
was thirty or five-and-thirty years ago. Bad as per- 
secution is to bear, they who have the greatest reason 
to denounce it are the persecutors. 

Many of his sermons of this period allude in point- 
ed language to the uncharitable opposition with which 
the christian efforts of himself and his friends were 
met by a perverse and stiff-necked generation. From 
one of these, the fragmentary state of which pre- 
cludes its entire publication, I extract a passage. 

"The carnal mind," says he, tf is enmity against God; 
black and implacable enmity against the glorious God, 
and against all of God which is seen in his people. 
In the time of Cain and Abel, he that was born after 
the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit ; 
the opposition has been continued throughout all gene- 
rations, and even so it is now. The hatred is not 
the hatred of man as against man ; it is the hatred of 
the fallen nature against the renewed soul ; it is the 
hatred of Belial against the Spirit of Christ; it is the 
hatred of sin against holiness; of hell against heaven. 
Through the Lord's kind and protecting providence, 
the violence is now principally carried on through the 



xcvi 



THE LIFE OF 



strife of tongues; but it is carried on, and the work 
of enmity will be continued till time shall be no 
more. * * Perhaps some of you, my freinds, have been 
lately impressed with the importance of eternal concerns. 
You feel an earnest wish to win Christ, and to rejoice 
before him at his coming: but when you sit down and 
count the cost, you are staggered. You are willing to do " 
many things, and to suffer many things ; — but to have your 
name cast out as evil ; to be classed with the weak or the 
designing ; to be pointed at by the finger of scorn ; to en- 
dure the hiss or the laugh of the world ; or, to say all in a 
word, to be branded by the common term of reproach 
and contempt, Methodist — this is painful to flesh 
and blood. You shrink at the terrifying sound, and 
you are ready to say unto the Lord, 'Have us excused 
from this bitter trial.' Excused you cannot be, if 
you would be christians, and save your souls. Consider 
a few particulars. How was the blessed Jesus treated? 
He was called f a glutton and a wine-bibber;' his 
enemies told him 'Thou hast a devil, and art mad.' 
And shall the Lord suffer reproach; and shall the 
servant, with a vile cowardice, beg for shelter from 
the malice of tongues? Shame upon such a servant! 
He deserves not the name. * * Again: — What has 
the Son of God declared ? ' If they have called the 
master of the house Beelzebub, much more will they 
call those of his household.' You see, then, that if 
you will be Christ's, you must bear the badge. It 
cannot be avoided. The matter is settled. The 
words of Jesus are Yea and Amen. Again; — What has 
an inspired Apostle spoken upon the point? 'Yea, 
and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall 
suffer persecution.' Again: — What has the Judge of 
all determined? He has determined that they who 
deny him before men, shall be denied by him when 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. XCvii 



he cometh in the glory of his Father. You, then, 
who are fearful ; you, who are asking the world 
how far ye may go in religion, without being called 
by a hard name, lay these things to heart. You 
cannot serve (rod and Mammon. If you be not with 
Christ openly, he considers you against him. If you 
-will not take up the Cross, you must not wear the 
Crown. If you will shrink from reproach in the cause 
of Jesus, you will have just so much profession as will 
make you miserable, just so much religion as will lead 
you to the left hand of the judge; just so much light 
as will conduct you to the blackness of darkness for 
ever. But, beloved, let us hope better things, and things 
which accompany salvation. With the help of the Lord, 
sought by much prayer, make a determined choice. 
Repent daily of sin. Look continually to the Lamb 
of God to take away your iniquities. Seek perpetual 
supplies of the Spirit of the Lord, to make all things 
new within you ; and then, constrained by the consi- 
deration that Jesus Christ hung upon the Cross for 
your transgressions, go forth into the world boldly, 
bearing his reproach. And what will be the con- 
sequence A peaceful conscience; walking with God 
as a Father and a Friend ; your Saviour glorified ; 
sweet communion with him in the means of grace; 
support in every sorrow; perhaps the song of victory 
when you die;- — and certainly the song of triumph 
when you rise at the Last Day." 

Such were the means by which he sustained himself, 
and comforted his people, under the pressure of a 
persecuting world. 

Had Mr. Housman loved the Church of England no 
better than his enemies repeatedly alleged, the unre- 
lenting hostility with which his endeavours to hasten 

n 



XCV111 



THE LIFE OF 



God's kingdom upon earth were met, would doubtless 
have driven him to secede from the Establishment, and 
apply his christian energies in some more encouraging 
direction. That he continued to minister at her altars, 
in spite of the incessant obloquy with which his minis- 
trations were assailed, furnished his adversaries, though 
they would not see it, with the most complete refutation 
of their unjust aspersions. For the good that was in 
the Church he was content to endure the evil; — the 
evil he sought to mitigate by a faithful discharge of 
the sacred duties he had incurred. He succeeded. If 
the Church of England, as exhibited in Lancaster, is 
not now what it was fifty years ago (and who will pretend 
to say that it is^) the improvement is principally at- 
tributable, under the divine blessing, to the courageous 
labours and apostolic example of the venerable subject 
of this memoir. By zealous preaching, holy living, 
constant praying, and patient suffering, he overcame 
the formidable opposition of that day, and was gra- 
ciously permitted to witness the general acceptation of 
the great doctrines, in the cordial and consistent 
profession of which he began and ended his career. 
The Lord gave to him a mouth and wisdom, which 
his adversaries were able neither to gainsay nor resist; 
the Lord God caused righteousness and praise to spring 
up before his servant, and knowledge to increase. 
The recompense was glorious. "Mr. Housman had 
every reason to be thankful" (these are his wife's 
words) "that he was led to return to his own land 
with the embassy of mercy." 

"During forty years," says Mr. S tatter,* "he pro- 
claimed from the pulpit of St. Anne's the unsearchable 
riches of Christ; and proclaimed them in a manner, 

* Incumbent of Lindale, Lancashire : formerly Curate of St. Anne's. 



THE REV R. HOUSMAN. 



xcix 



and with an effect, exceeded by none, equalled by few. 
His ministry was honoured as an instrument in the 
hands of God, of more extended influence than is 
ordinarily granted to those whose lot it is to labour in 
the same holy vocation. He was a burning and a 
shining light, and many were not only willing, but, 
through grace, did rejoice in his light. If we say 
that hundreds upon hundreds acknowledged, and in a 
holy life evidenced, his word to be the mighty power 
of God, we only speak the language of truth and 
soberness." "I am wishful," said the Rev. Samuel 
Bell,* in a discourse which he delivered on the occasion 
of Mr. Housman's death, "I am wishful to pay this 
public tribute of respect to the memory of departed 
worth, and bear my testimony to the christian virtues 
and ministerial usefulness of that venerable servant of 
Christ, the late Rev. Robert Housman, who, from the 
great length of time he laboured in this town — his 
position in society — the opportunities he had of preach- 
ing the Gospel — the zeal, fidelity, and energy, with 
which he availed himself of those opportunites — the 
influence he was enabled to exert upon all ranks, 
orders, and classes of the population — and the ample 
measure of success which has resulted from his perse- 
vering, long-continued, and consistent exertions — may 
be designated, not inappropriately, the Evangelist of 
Lancaster." 

To these just and truly gratifying testimonies — grati- 
fying not only to those who loved and reverenced Mr. 
Housman, but to those who reverence and love his 
Master — one other tribute may be added. 

"His residence in Lancaster forms an epoch in the 
religious history of this county. From that time 



* Pastor of the Independent Church and Congregation in Lancaster. 



c 



THE LIFE OF 



must be dated, and to his agency under Providence 
must be ascribed, a decided improvement in the moral 
and religious state of this town and its vicinity; an 
increase of religious light ; together with the general dif- 
fusion of a taste and relish for the pure word of God. 
It is only once in an age that an individual is permit- 
ted to confer such benefits on the place of his residence, 
as this ancient and respectable borough derived from 
the labours of Mr. Housman; and the change which 
Baxter accomplished at Kidderminster, he effected 
at Lancaster. It was the boast of Augustus that 
he found the city of Rome composed of brick, and 
left it marble. Mr. Housman might say, without 
arrogance, that he had been the instrument of effecting 
a far more beneficial and momentous change. He came 
to this place while it was sunk in vice and irreligion ; 
he left it eminently distinguished by sobriety of manners, 
and the practice of warm, serious, and enlightened 
piety. He added not aqueducts and palaces, nor did 
he increase the splendour of its public edifices; but he 
embellished it with undecaying ornaments ; he renovated 
the minds of the people, and turned a large portion of 
them 'from darkness to light, and from the power of 
Satan to God.' He embellished it with living stones, 
and replenished it with numerous temples of the Holy 
Ghost. He extended its intercourse with heaven, and 
prepared a numerous class of its inhabitants for the 
enjoyments of celestial bliss. Of the number of those 
who will devoutly acknowledge him as their spiritual 
father at the day of final audit, that day only can 
determine."* 



f Robert Hall's character of Robinson of Leicester. By substituting the 
names "Housman" and "Lancaster" for "Robinson" and " Leicester," the 
application of the passage, without any further change, is perfect. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN- 



ci 



By one well qualified io speak upon the subject, 
(the friend already mentioned) the leading principles 
and peculiarities of Mr. Housman's long and prosperous 
ministry have been thus forcibly distinguished. 

"In his theological views/' says the Rev. James 
Starter, "he perfectly symbolized with our Articles, 
our Liturgy, and our Homilies. The doctrines of the 
Protestant Reformers, if any human authority was, 
were his guide. Those forms of sound words, which 
they have left us as the church's inheritance, he ac- 
counted, only not inspired. He had lived on terms 
of the closest intimacy with many of the brightest 
ornaments of the Church of England ; with men, whose 
names are coeval with the revival of that Church from 
a state of spiritual slumber and indifference — the 
Romaines, the Venns, the Newtons, the Scotts of days 
gone by — and he formed perhaps the last, or almost 
the last link in the chain which connects our own 
times with theirs. With that man of God, the Rev. 
Charles Simeon, he was, in his early days, most closely 
associated. Indeed, though in some respects there was 
a strong contrast between them, yet in many parts of 
their history, character, and religious views, there was 
a striking resemblance. * * In addition to the 
correspondence in their religious opinions, and their 
mutual determination, in their public ministry, 'to 
know nothing but Christ and him crucified,' they both, 
though in different situations, devoted themselves chiefly 
to one object: Mr. Simeon to the work of preparing 
young men for the ministry ; Mr. Housman to the minis- 
try of the gospel in his native town. At the commence- 
ment of their career, they had each to contend with 
much persecution for the truth's sake, and each lived 
to see the day when that persecution had subsided, 
and their perseverance in well doing had made them 



Cll 



THE LIFE OF 



universally respected and esteemed in the very place 
where their names had been cast out as evil. They 
were alike eminently successful in the work to which 
they had consecrated all their powers; instruments of 
greater blessing to the community than most of their 
contemporaries. Mr. Simeon, it is true, occupied a much 
more prominent post of duty, and was better calculated 
for it, than his early friend, who almost instinctively 
shrunk from anything like public notoriety; but Mr. 
Housman no less sedulously and successfully cultivated 
the more contracted sphere allotted him. 

"With these, the excellent of the earth, in religious 
sentiment our dear departed friend closely coincided. 
Well did he remember, and well did he, during a long 
life, practise, the almost dying advice of good old 
Berridge. 'Mind, dear Sir, you preach the three 
Rs — Ruin, Redemption, Regeneration.' That article 
which Luther, whose language he often quoted, was 
wont to call, 'The article of a standing or falling 
Church' — the doctrine of justification by faith alone, 
though not the only article of his creed, was that about 
which, in their due proportion, every other continually 
revolved. This was indeed the foundation, or rather 
it formed the life-blood of his system. The criterion 
too, we may add, by which Mr. Simeon wished his 
divinity to be tried, might, with equal propriety, test 
that of Mr. Housman. Judging by its effects, his 
preaching did, as he often said he wished it to do — 
'Abase the Sinner' — 'Exalt the Saviour' — 
'Promote Holiness.' Such, I think, were the 
general features of his creed. Such the tone of his 
doctrine. May the Church of England never want 
men, who, like him, shall thus 'contend for the truth 
once delivered to the saints.' 

" He made it," says the same affectionate friend, " his 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ciii 



continual aim in his public ministrations, to exalt and 
magnify the Saviour. The preaching of this man of 
God, was eminently the preaching of Christ. And the 
inscription, which his friend of whom we have so often 
spoken, wished to be engraven on his tomb, might 
with equal propriety, perpetuate Mr. Housman's me- 
mory. ( During upwards of fifty years he made tfye 
foundation of his hope, and the subject of his preaching 
— Jesus Christ and him crucified.' He had himself ex- 
perienced the power, and felt the preciousnesss, of this 
grand subject, of which the Gospel is so full, and he 
rightly judged that it would be equally efficacious in 
the hearts of others; equally potent to slay the enmity 
of the carnal mind, to remove the alienation of the 
heart, to win back the sinner to his God, and to con- 
strain him to a life of holy and self-denying obedience. 
This was the theme on which he delighted to dwell. 
The Saviour's glory, the unsearchable riches of his 
grace, his power and willingness to save all who 
would trust in him, the sufficiency of his salvation, 
the beauteousness of his example, were subjects on 
which he could expatiate with a power, an eloquence, 
and a sublimity, all his own. This was the weapon 
he wielded with such effect, and which proved in its 
influence on the heart and lives of many, mighty 
through God to the bringing down of the strongholds 
of sin and satan. Nor, it ought to be remarked, was 
his a partial preaching of this great doctrine. He 
set Christ before his people in all his offices and cha- 
racters. If he spake of his full, perfect, and sufficient 
sacrifice, satisfaction, and oblation for the sin of the 
whole world, as the returning penitent's only ground of 
hope, he spake also both of the sufficiency and the 
necessity of his almighty and sanctifying grace. If 
he pointed sinners to him as their refuge, he also set 



civ 



THE LIFE OF 



him before them as their bright example. Anything 
bordeiing on antinomian licentiousness, from his soul 
he loathed and hated. His people must take Christ 
as they found him in the Bible ; their Prophet to 
teach them, their Priest to atone and intercede for 
them, their King to rule over them. Here he could 
make no compromise. If any man would come after 
Christ, he must take up his cross without hesitation, 
deny himself, leave all and follow him." 

Another striking feature in Mr. Housman's ministry, 
his intimate acquaintance with human nature, has been 
noticed by the same discriminating analyst. 

"He well knew the hearts of those to whom he 
carried his message. He had so closely studied his 
own, so accurately marked its every emotion, both in 
a state of nature and of grace, that he could, with the 
utmost nicety, dissect and anatomize the inmost hearts 
of others. He was eminently a discerner of spirits. 
He could penetrate, it might have been thought with 
more than human keenness of vision, the chambers of 
imagery within, and hold forth before the sinner's eye, 
until he trembled at the sight of his own vileness, 
whatever was depicted there. Or, to use the language 
of one of his own people, f He could put his finger 
upon the plague-spot of every human heart, and apply 
to it the specific remedy.' In that divine science, 
the science of self-knowledge, he had made remarkable 
and astonishing progress : and to no duty, with perhaps 
the exception of the imporant duty of prayer, did he 
so often exhort his hearers, as that of frequent and 
serious self-examination. To his intimate acquaintance 
with human nature, I suppose we must trace the power 
he possessed, in his appeals to the consciences of sinners. 
Many of you have felt and can remember how awaken- 
ing they were. What a solemn feeling at times 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CV 



pervaded the crowded assembly, whilst he reasoned of 
righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come ! 
His arrows were then indeed often sharp in the hearts 
of the King's enemies: and whilst some who were 
pricked in the heart, cried out in secret anguish of soul, 
'Men and brethren, what shall we doT — not a few 
have assigned as the cause of their leaving his ministry, 
that they could not withstand the power with which he 
spake. 

"Time would fail," Mr. Statter adds, "to point out 
his minor excellences. Those who were in the habit 
of attending his ministry, will well remember the deep 
solemnity and impressiveness with which he delivered 
his message among them; the bending of his body, as 
if pressed down beneath the weight of his subject : the 
solemn raising of his right arm; and that pointing of 
the finger, so characteristic of his manner, as if he 
would direct the arrow of conviction straight to the 
sinner's heart; whilst the slow and measured tones of 
his voice, as they fell upon the ear, seemed to give 
additional effect to every word he uttered. The ar- 
rangement of his subjects was clear and lucid; never 
so overburdened with divisions and subdivisions, but 
that the most inattentive hearer might carry away in 
his memory the leading points of the discourse ; whilst 
his style, elegant and polished, free from all vulgarity. 
— terse, sententious, and forcible, without even a redun- 
dant word, or perhaps an incongruous epithet — was 
yet intelligible to the meanest capacity."* 

His attachment to the ordinary public service of the 
Church, as a form of worship, cannot, without manifest 
impropriety, be unrecorded here. It was little, if at 
all, inferior in degree (different in kind of course it was) 

* Funeral Sermon. 




cvi 



THE LIFE OF 



to that which he entertained for the doctrines of the 
Establishment, as stated in her articles. This attach- 
ment, which never failed to exhibit itself, when he 
read prayers in the congregation, in a manner unspeak- 
ably devout and impressive, he has taken repeated op- 
portunities of publicly declaring ; and some of the most 
successful efforts of his pen are passages in which the 
Liturgy is praised. "Here," he says, in one of his 
sermons, having described it as unrivalled for spiritu- 
ality of sentiment, and sanctity of expression, "Here 
I feel that I am upon holy ground. I am glancing at 
a form of worship, which, though not divinely inspired, 
was, I doubt not, in its compilation and composition, 
divinely superintended : at a form of worship, which, 
being appointed, in the counsels of mercy, to be a feast 
to millions as they passed through the wilderness, was 
therefore most abundantly provided, and well prepared: 
at a form of worship, which, from time to time, He, 
who walketh in the midst of the churches, dignifies 
with his . presence, and enlivens by his Spirit : at 
a form of worship, which has been the sanctified 
means of raising multitudes, in their affections, far 
above the atmosphere of this sinful world, even to the 
gates of heaven; and the blessed savour of which they 
took along with them, when they were called to enter 
in at the gates, and to stand in the presence of the 
King eternal." And then, having hastily but very 
feelingly reviewed a few of the excellences of what he 
calls "this wonderful service," he adds, in a passage 
of equal fulness and beauty — "Such is the glance, 
the feeble and limited glance, which the time has 
allowed me to direct towards the Liturgy of the 
Church : a Liturgy, reverential yet glowing, hum- 
bling yet full of comfort : a Liturgy, which applies 
itself to every want of a returning sinner, and to 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CV11 



every desire of a confirmed believer: a Liturgy, 
which can guide a transgressor in the deepest valley 
of his distress, and which can accompany and assist 
the adoring saint in the highest fervours of his devotion : 
a Liturgy, which requires nothing but spirituality in 
the worshippers, or an anxiety to become spiritual, to 
be the delight of every heart, f a joy of many genera- 
tions,' an honoured means of edifying the body of Christ, 
and of educating man to become the companion of God 
for ever." 

In 1797, the year which followed the opening of 
St. Anne's, Mr. Housman founded, at the suggestion 
and in accordance with the plans of his wife, the 
Benevolent Society; a society which dispenses, in 
times of sickness, and according to an established scale, 
pecuniary aid to such as need it, without distinction of 
sects or religious profession; the only condition being 
that the recipients shall have been in the habit of 
attending some place of divine worship. The Benevo- 
lent Society is supported by annual subscriptions, and 
the interest of a few legacies; by a yearly collection 
in St. Anne's Chapel, after a sermon preached on behalf 
of the institution ; and by the money contributed at the 
monthly administration of the Sacrament of the Lord's 
Supper. Too much praise cannot be bestowed upon this 
truly christian and truly catholic Society. For up- 
wards of forty years it has been the means of carrying 
hope and comfort to many a desolate abode of poverty 
and wretchedness; and it has exerted, indirectly, an 
influence in the promotion of the spiritual and eternal 
interests of the objects of its philanthropic agency, the 
extent and effects of which can only be fully known 
and rightly estimated in "the day of Christ." 



CV111 



THE LIFE OF 



At this period of his life, and indeed as long as 
mental vigour remained unabated, his conversational 
powers, when exercised on subjects congenial to his 
tastes and habits, were of a very superior order. The 
late truly excellent Mrs. Dawson of Aldcliffe Hall near 
Lancaster,* declared to a gentleman from whom I de- 
rive the information, that he could make an exclusively 
religious conversation more generally attractive, and 
sustain it with interest for a much greater length of time, 
than any of the eminent and admirable christian mi- 
nisters among whom so many of her early days were 
providentially cast. None who enjoyed the privilege of 
his unconstrained society, will suspect this judgment of 
extravagance. He possessed, in a very uncommon 
degree, what Dr. Watts has called "the happy talent 
of parlour preaching." His speech was always with 
grace, seasoned with salt, and was good to the use of 
edifying. "He spake not forcedly," as John Howe 
says of Dr. Bates, " or with affectation, as acting a 
part," (of this he was incapable) "but from the settled 
temper and habit of his soul." Who that remembers 
what he was before the silver cord began to loosen, 
can forget the simple grandeur of some of his thoughts, 
the natural and engaging beauty of others ; the skill 
which he exhibited in bringing out the hidden riches, 
and shewing the fulness and unheeded significancy, of 
familiar texts; his successful application of scriptural 
images and scriptural phraseology to the specific move- 
ments of his own heart and mind; the felicity and 
weight of his pregnant aphorisms, in which whole 
disquisitions, stripped of their dulness, would often 

%• 

* Mother of the present Edward Dawson, Esq. Of Mrs. Dawson a memoir 
has been written by the Rev. Wm. Carus Wilson, Rector of Whittington. 
Many of Newton's letters (those to Miss F .) were addressed to her. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cix 



seem to be epitomised; the affectionate and gentle 
earnestness of his manner ; the sweetness of his vene- 
rable countenance ; his enlarged sympathy, his catholic 
benevolence, his love, his veneration, his child-like 
entireness of trust — but above all, his profound and 
most impressive gratitude whenever he spoke (and when 
did he not speak 4 ?) of his redeeming Lord, and the 
marvellous mystery of Redemption. These are things 
that can never be forgotten by those who enjoyed the 
happiness of experiencing them, and they are things not 
very likely to be repeated in our busy, bustling, and 
secularizing age.* 

"Some of the most delightful moments of my life," 
says one, who, though a dissenter, deservedly possessed a 
large share of his best affections, "were spent beneath 
his hospitable roof. My visits to Acrelands were 
fraught with precious advantages, and have left behind 
them emotions of the deepest gratitude. Sometimes 
he would indulge me with an hour's conversation in 
his study ; sometimes he would invite me to accompany 
him in his walks ; at all times the same kind, gentle, 
considerate friend and counsellor ; at all times the same 
meek, and humble, and loving christian. It was im- 
possible, I think, to be a minute in his presence with- 
out hearing from his lips some invaluable observation." 
Words of life fell from his lips, as words of course 
fall from the lips of the majority of men. This was 

* Some of the most interesting remarks I remember to have heard him offer, 
were made in the beginning of 1838, (the year in which he died) and arose 
out of the word " so " in Acts xiv. 1 : "They so spake that a great multitude 
believed." He enlarged upon the comprehensiveness of the little adverb, and 
.proceeded to illustrate its meaning by shewing the kindness of the general 
design of the Gospel, and by citing numerous examples (which he did with 
astonishing ease) of the simple, direct, and winning spirit that distinguished the 
apostles in all their labours. He animadverted with considerable sadness upon 
the deplorable tendency of what he designated " scolding sermons," and lamented 
that in the present day violence should be so extensively mistaken for energy. 



cx 



THE LIFE OF 



particularly the case at meal-times. "On these occa- 
sions/' continues the same friend, " his heart seemed to 
overflow with thankfulness. Every meal was a sacra- 
ment ; and his guests arose spiritually as well as bodily 
refreshed."* 

"Whereas/' says Mr. Statter, "in christians of an 
ordinary standard, religious conversation might seem to 
be the result of some extraordinary labour and self-denial, 
and the bow, which had been bent for awhile from its 
natural position, must of necessity be again unstrung; 
in Mr. Housman it was just the reverse. 'He could 
not but speak of the things he had seen and heard.' 
What was labour to others, was relaxation and pleasure 
to him; what formed their relaxation, was his labour 
and self-denial. To other subjects beside Christ and 
his glory, his saving grace and power, he must be 
drawn, as it were, by force. These were the very 
elements of his being; and if by any means he had 
been for a time drawn from them, his mind would 
return, and, so to speak, rebound to them, with renewed 
and visible delight." " If privileged to enter his 
retirement," continues the same sympathizing friend, 
'* you found yourself in a new and heavenly atmosphere. 
In listening to the gracious words that fell from his 
lips, you felt yourself in the society of one who had 
habitual fellowship and intercourse with heaven. In 
the depth and tone of his spiritual feelings Mr. Housman 
had few equals, and perhaps in our day no superiors. 
There were times indeed, as his intimate friends have 
often observed, when his mind would seem to labour 

*The late most excellent Dr. Ryder, successively Bishop of Gloucester and 
Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, with whom the venerable subject of these 
memoirs became acquainted about the year 1819 or '20, duly appreciated 
his society, and used to call upon him whenever he passed through Lancaster. 
I know that on one occasion he remarked, "It is quite a privilege to sit an 
hour with Mr. Housman." 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxi 



beneath the weight of its conceptions, and his thoughts 
appear too big for utterance. And it was truly 
delightful to remark, in the latter period of his life, 
when his mind had lost something of its former vigour, 
how he still retained this ' unction from the Holy One.' 
As it was said of the aged apostle, St. John, the 
beloved disciple of our Lord, that in his latter days, 
when, through age and infirmity, he was unable to do 
aught beside, he was carried about from place to place 
among the christian assemblies, simply saying — f Little 
children, love one another ;' so it was with this departed 
saint. He could latterly speak of nothing but that 
which is the grand and animating principle of the love 
of christians to each other — the love of God in Christ 
Jesus." 

To these affectionate testimonies, as just as they are 
affectionate, nothing can be added. 

Mr. Housman's personal appearance, which under- 
went but little alteration during the last forty years of 
his life, was exceedingly prepossessing. His forehead, 
high and nobly expanded, and exhibiting, according to 
phrenological principles, the moral departments in very 
ample developement, rose from a square and knotty base, 
characteristic less of versatility of intellect than of 
great powers of concentration, decision, and generali- 
zation. His nose and mouth were beautifully moulded : 
his eyes, the colour of which was the lightest and 
most perfect blue — were soft, tender, bright, and placid. 
The prevalent and habitual expression of his counte- 
nance was that of seraphic thoughtfulness ; the radiant 
and unruffled contemplativeness of a heart and mind 
full of hope, and faith, and love, and the peace which 
passeth all understanding. His aspect presented the 
infallible indications of a sabbath within. It seemed 



CXll 



THE LIFE OF 



to declare what Rowland Hill declared of Cornelius 
Winter ; " he would make the worst devil of any man 
in the world." " Looking into his face/' said Mr. 
Lonsdale, when painting the admirable portrait from 
which the engraving at the beginning of this volume is 
taken, "is like looking into Heaven." The remark 
may be fanciful, but it conveys very forcibly the idea of 
the discriminating sentiment of his features, and is in 
striking agreement with the observation of Mr. Berridge 
as recorded in a previous page. It was next to impossi- 
ble to see him without thinking of what Christ said 
of Nathanael, " Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is 
no guile!" His voice, never of any great compass, was 
yet full, clear, well-modulated, and manly; capable, as 
they who knew him will readily attest, of giving equal 
effect to the hopes of the Gospel and the terrors of 
the Law. Solemnity and sweetness were its main 
peculiarities. His stature was about five feet nine 
inches; his body, thin though not slight, being well 
proportioned, and his general deportment, until the 
weight of nearly eighty years bowed and enfeebled him, 
easy, dignified, and graceful. His manners were those 
of a man of education and social advantages, gentle 
and unobtrusive; in the presence of strangers, or, still 
more particularly, of half-friends, somewhat reserved, 
and perhaps a little formal ; but at all times, whether 
restrained or free, distinguished by the invariable at- 
tribute of moral greatness, simplicity. He had a strong 
dislike of being entrapped into the company of those 
with whom he was unacquainted, and used to make 
as speedy a retreat as was compatible with the respect 
due to the conventional habits of the world. For the 
benefit of such as think smiles and spirituality incon- 
gruous, I have pleasure in mentioning that Mr. Housman 
was always cheerful, and occasionally gay; that he 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CX111 



could laugh at a good story as heartily as any body; 
and now and then, but this was seldom, would indulge 
in sly passages of innocent irony. " What do you think 
of the sermon"?" he one day asked, after having heard 
a Visitation Discourse from the lips of a gentleman 
neither eloquent nor evangelical ; " I think it an admirable 
sermon," was the answer, "and true to what you and 
I hold to be the grand principles of the Gospel:" 
"You are right," he replied — "I wonder where he got 
it" Never once, during the whole of his ministe- 
rial labours, did he preach a sermon not of his own 
construction.* "If a man cannot divide the word of 
God himself" he used to say, "let him give up his 
pulpit to one who can; and if he can but won't, let 
him pray for an increase of faith and zeal." Notwith- 
standing this opinion, however, he was invariably 
ready to lend his sermons to the more needy of his 
fellow ministers; and I have hundreds of manuscripts 
lying beside me that have travelled up and down 
England from one county to another, for the last five 
and twenty or thirty years. 

Through the instrumentality of these itinerating dis- 
courses, how extensively has the influence of Mr. 
Housman's principles and experience been diffused! 
Can it be doubted — composed as they were in depen- 
dence upon the Spirit of God — that the blessing of God 
has often followed them % Indeed, in numberless instances 
I know that it has. "I possess," says a clergyman 
now resident in Kent, "a series of his sermons 
written in 1798 and 1800. They interested me 
greatly when I heard them preached, and they have 
been the means of interesting others no less deeply. 
They have been heard by 'Bishops, Deans, and Chapters,' 
with various feelings; and have been taken down, 

* He had written above 6000 sermons. 
P 



cxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



whilst read, on several occasions. One of them was 
preached in King's College Chapel, Strand, last Sunday 
morning; I have reason to hope, not in vain." Up- 
wards of twenty years ago he received from a clergyman 
in Cornwall to whom he had lent a packet of discourses, 
a letter expressive of gratitude for the loan, and of 
thankful acknowledgments to God for the signal way 
in which, in a variety of instances, they had been made 
subservient to the glorious purposes of divine grace. 
Not long before the date of this letter, they had proved the 
instruments of awakening to a sense of the value and 
importance of spiritual concerns, and of bringing to a 
saving knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, four 
of the principal members of a distinguished and titled 
family in the parish of which the clergyman was then 
minister. On reading these truly consolatory and 
cheering statements, Mr. Housman was powerfully 
affected; and turning to a dear friend who sat near 
him, he exclaimed, with tears of gladness in his eyes, 
" Oh ! — I shall never know the full effects of my poor 
labours, 'till I stand before the judge." The remark, 
my informant adds, was uttered in a tone and manner 
which indicated the union of the deepest humility and 
the purest joy. 

The reserved and somewhat formal address which 
characterized his intercourse with strangers, and which 
may be considered rather "an infelicity than a fault," 
has led to a very erroneous impression that Mr. Hous- 
man was difficult of access. It is certainly true, that 
except under circumstances which demanded a surrender 
of his own feelings to the imperative sense of duty, he 
was incapable of making first advances ; but it is no 
less true, that when advances were made to him, he 
received them, not merely with courteous alacrity, but 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CXV 



in a spirit of ample and reciprocating gratitude. The 
cheerful readiness with which,, in his ministerial cha- 
racter, he responded to the wishes of those who sought 
his counsel, is well known hy hundreds still living; 
and it is beautifully evinced in a letter (written in 
1804) from which I am permitted to make the follow- 
ing extract. 

** As you have given me authority to ' scold' you, I 
am half disposed to avail myself of the permission. I 
shall not, however, select as the subject of my animad- 
version, your being f too presuming' in desiring me to 
write to you a second time, for I really feel that I am 
not a person of such consequence as to make it pre- 
sumption in any one, much less in Mary, to request 
my correspondence. The ground and the materials 
for my anger (if angry I could be with you) would be 
found in the very first sentence you ever wrote and 
transmitted to me. You say — ' It is with no small 
degree of fear that I venture to address you.' And 
what, my dear Mary, have you observed in me which 
could excite so troublesome a sensation as that of fear 4 ? 
If there has been anything like austerity or distance in my 
manner towards you, I can only say that my manner 
and my heart were not in unison. Be assured, my dear 
child, that I esteem you, and that I love you. Let 
these two points be settled fully and abidingly in your 
mind ; you will then speak to me with unrestrained 
confidence. You will consider me, and treat me, as if 
I were an affectionate and elder brother. Then all 
intercourse will be doubly pleasant." 

Mr. Housmans general habits and pursuits, though 
they will be found to be more abundantly illustrated 
in the future pages of this memoir, may be pretty 
correctly inferred from what has been said already. 
Naturally of a contemplative and retiring frame of 



cxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



mind, he was inactive rather than indolent; fond of 
ease and quiet though prompt to sacrifice both at the 
urgent call of duty ; and prone, like most men of literary 
employments, to the insidious and enthralling sin of 
procrastination. He rarely commenced his sermons 
until a Thursday evening, and had often to finish his after- 
noon's discourse after dinner on a Sunday. He wrote 
with extraordinary rapidity, and almost without an 
interlineation or erasure. The cleanness of his manu- 
scripts, when the compactness and elegance of his style 
are taken into account, is surprising. It should, however, 
be added, that though written quickly, his sermons were 
the result of patient thought, as well as of fervent and 
continual prayer: that not only every sentiment, but 
(at least as regards the principal parts of his discourses) 
the precise words had a form and connexion given them 
long before they were committed to paper. This habit 
may account for his successful imitation of the manner 
of extemporaneous preaching. Thoroughly acquainted 
as he was with every syllable in his manuscript, he 
had seldom occasion to cast his eyes upon it; and it 
was curious to mark, as one sitting in the gallery had 
good opportunities of doing, how instinctively, as it were, 
he would turn over page after page exactly at the 
proper moment. The result was, a union of the 
several advantages which belong to extempore and 
written sermons respectively; the earnest and colloquial 
directness of the one — the more compressed, correct, 
and weighty significance of the other. 

To ministerial visits Mr. Housman devoted less time 
than the more exacting of his friends seem disposed to 
approve. His constitutional diffidence, which rendered 
the idea of intrusiveness intolerable to him, conjoined 
with extreme aversion to the forced introduction and 
sudden discussion of religious topics, and a still greater 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CXV11 



disrelish of "talking for talking s sake/' will in some 
measure account for the comparative defectiveness of 
this department of his professional duties. There was, 
however, another cause which operated with greater 
cogency than any of those already enumerated. Hold- 
ing the principal office of a Christian Minister to be 
that of public instructor, and consequently regarding 
the obligations of that office as claiming the principal 
portion of a Minister's attention, he expended upon the 
engagements of the pulpit a degree of time, and thought, 
and preparation, with which an extensive and systematic 
round of pastoral visits, supposing him to have felt 
inclined to pay them, was imcompatible. And who 
that seriously considers the blessed and abundant fruit- 
fulness of his labours, would wish it otherwise *? Had 
he been less in his study, he would have been less 
liked and less useful out of it. It was from the 
secluded employments of the closet that his public 
ministrations derived the holy unction which gave them 
such astonishing effect. He was much with God in 
secret; and God rewarded him openly. 

I am reminded of an anecdote which Mr. Housman 
was fond of relating. "A person travelling in Scot- 
land, inquired of one of the inhabitants of a small 
village, whether the Minister of the place frequently 
visited the members of his congregation at their own 
homes. The reply was, referring to the pastor's close 
and habitual devotion, 'that he was in heaven all the 
week, and came down on- the Sabbath to tell his 
people what he had seen and heard.' " "It frequently 
occurred to me," adds the gentleman to whom I am 
indebted for the anecdote, "how exactly this description 
of a minister's habits suited Mr. Housman. f De te 
tabula narratur' was often on my lips when I heard 
him relate it, as he was repeatedly wont to do, though. 



cxvm 



THE LIFE OF 



I am certain,, without the slightest consciousness of its 
application to himself." 

In visiting the sick, especially those of the very 
poorest classes, Mr. Housman was most exemplary. 
To this duty he appropriated the afternoons, and, if need 
were, the evenings, of two days in every week; nor 
did the stormiest weather prevent him. I have seen 
him, long after he had attained his seventieth year, put 
on his top-coat and sally forth in the darkest and 
wildest of nights, to carry consolation to some suffering 
member of St. Anne's, under circumstances of personal in- 
disposition which would have justified even a younger 
man in keeping close at home. But whenever he hesi- 
tated, Mrs. Housman was near to encourage and decide. 

In the year 1799, having purchased a portion of 
land at the south end of his native village, he built 
Acrelands, the house at present occupied by John 
Armstrong, Esq. Here he resided until the year 1818. 

In 1802 he qualified as a Justice of the Peace for 
the County Palatine of Lancaster, being led to do so 
from an earnest desire to have access, for purposes of 
spiritual instruction, exhortation, and comfort, to the 
cells of the prisoners in the County Jail. His visits 
to these melancholy abodes of vice and wretchedness 
were frequent, and afforded him many opportunities of 
proclaiming with effect the unspeakably free and pre- 
cious grace of God in the salvation of sinners.* 

The intemperate opposition of former years broke out 

* His private conversation was often rendered exceedingly interesting by the 
detail of circumstances connected with his experience among these prolific scenes 
of crime. The Rev. Legh Richmond, who visited Acrelands in 1815, makes the 
following entry in his diary. " Had much affecting information from Mr. H. 
relative to some criminals, executed at various periods." 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxix 



against him with unabated violence, and was conducted 
under dignified auspices, in 1803. Not content with 
the dull and unpoetical orthodoxy of Sternold and 
Hopkins, or the still duller productions of Nahum Tate 
and Nicholas Brady, Mr. Housman committed the 
unpardonable indiscretion of superseding the lyrics of 
those sweet singers of Israel by a Hymn Book of his 
own compiling. To reject the spiritless rhymes which 
had for years and years promoted slumber in the parish 
church, and to substitute the animating compositions of 
men who were poets as well as saints, indicated not 
merely an audacious contempt of the ways and wisdom 
of ancient time, but a degree of sincerity and christian 
zeal which alarmingly threatened the safety of the 
Church. If Hymn Books were permitted, where would 
changes end*? Accordingly, with a promptness and a 
determination which would have done credit to a better 
cause, complaints against him were preferred to the 
Bishop of the Diocese ; and the Bishop of the Diocese, 
equally with the complainants hating hymns, peremp- 
torily suggested the propriety of discontinuing the use of 
them. Of this hint I am not aware that Mr. Housman 
took any notice. The crusade was revived a few years 
later ; and upon this occasion he addressed his diocesan 
on behalf of the persecuted little book. Allusion is 
made to the preposterous event in the following extract 
from one of his letters, dated July 12, 1820. 

ff We have had a Visitation indeed! Our poor Hymn 
Book trembles for its existence. I shall write to- 
morrow to the Bishop, to explain, petition, and conciliate 
if I am able. The Book, and they who sincerely and 
feelingly use it, are in safe hands. If we are deprived 
of our accustomed comfort in this way, we must look 
for a double blessing on the other means of grace. 
No power but the power of the Eternal can keep 



cxx 



THE LIFE OF 



Christ out of our hearts, if we unfeignedly desire the 
presence ; and that power is the handmaid of eternal 
mercy to give him the throne within." 

As the use of the Hymn Book was not discontinued, 
he succeeded, I presume, in conciliating his "mitred 
chief." 

In the year 1813, Mr. Housman's untiring efforts in 
his Master's service produced the most alarming symp- 
toms in his health. The slightest exertion occasioned 
determination of blood to the head; and his medical 
attendants, foreseeing the probability of a fatal attack 
if his labours were not temporarily suspended, advised 
him to engage an assistant in the work of the ministry. 
In compliance with their suggestion, enforced as it was 
by the urgent entreaties of his intimate friends, he 
determined to do so; and, with this view, addressed 
the following letter to the Rev. William Cams Wilson, 
Rector of Whittington, at that time an under-graduate 
of Trinity College, Cambridge. From a part of this 
letter the reader will perceive that the pecuniary difficul- 
ties which subsequently encompassed him, had already 
begun to gather in his path. 

Acrelands, Nov. 22, 1813. 

MY DEAR SIR, 

I am satisfied that I need offer no apology for 
requesting your kind inquiries after a suitable assistant 
in my ministerial duties. The pressure of labour has 
lately become much too heavy for a weak and shattered 
constitution. The affection upon the brain, occasioned, 
and every week revived, by preparation for, and exer- 
tion in the pulpit, has become such as to threaten 
very serious and perhaps very speedy consequences. I 
have been obliged for some weeks to give up my 



THE REV- R. HOUSMAN. CXXi 

attendance at the Poor-house; and I intend to-morrow 
morning to fly from all labour, and to visit Lutterworth. 
Do you know of any person that would be disengaged 
in the Spring, and whom you can recommend as a 
fellow-labourer at St. Anne's % I cannot at present 
positively commission you to engage a gentleman, because 
I am not yet certain whether I can raise a stipend. 
I am offering Acrelands for sale; and if I succeed in 
disposing of the premises, I intend to remove to a 
smaller house in Lancaster, and, as my family is 
decreasing, to keep only one servant. By this arrange- 
ment I should hope to have it much better in my 
power than it is at present, to pay an assistant. Under 
these circumstances I beg the favour of you to be 
making the inquiry, whether, if my plans succeed, I 
could obtain a Curate, and at what salary. I venture 
to hope that a pious young man would be pleased with 
the attendance at the chapel, and with the general state 
of the congregation. Perhaps my dear old friend Mr. 
Simeon could help you in the inquiry, if a suitable 
person does not immediately occur to your recollection. 
Please to give my kind love to Mr. Simeon, and to 
your brother. 

You, my dear young friend, must increase, and I 
must decrease. I am rapidly declining, but you have 
before you bright prospects of usefulness. Permit me 
to recommend unto you two points, to be the subjects 
of your daily meditation as a believer, and to be your 
perpetual theme as a christian minister. These points 
are — the deep-rooted and total apostasy of man; and 
the glory and grace of Jesus. In proportion as the 
former is really known and experienced, and the latter 
steadily and truly realized — humility, and love, and 
thankfulness, and obedience, mark the character. Through 
grace, my preaching has been principally, and especially 

q 



cxxii 



THE LIFE OF 



lately, occupied with these two points, dwelling of 
course, upon their collaterals, and explaining the con- 
sequences ; and the Lord, I think, has set to his seal 
that this mode of preaching is according to his will. 

Farewell. Please to address me at Mr. Gathorne's, 
Lutterworth. I am, my dear Sir, your faithful and 
affectionate servant, 

Robert Housman. 

This letter is valuable, as containing a record of Mr. 
Housman's deliberate testimony to the powerful instru- 
mentality of the discriminating doctrines of evangelical 
religion, for purposes of real experimental and practical 
efficiency. He has spoken more at large on the same 
subject in the following extract from a manuscript of 
a later date. 

"The Gospel of the Lord Jesus is 'the ministration 
of the Spirit.' It is the instrument by which, when 
faithfully used, the blessed God, for the sake of Christ, 
gives his Spirit, to enlighten, convert, and save the 
soul. If we should preach what has been called ' a 
mixed covenant ; if we should say — ' Obey the law as 
well as you are able ; and, where you fall short, Christ 
will make up your defects ; ' — we might preach zealously, 
we might preach constantly, we might preach with 
enticing arts and with wisdom of words, we- might 
continue preaching for half an age, but our preaching 
would all be in vain. For anything we had done to 
help them, our hearers would go, one after another, into 
eternity, as ignorant of themselves, of the soul, and of 
the great salvation wrought out by the meritorious un- 
dertaking of Jesus, as if they had lived and died in a 
heathen land. They would perish in their sins; but 
their blood would be required at our hands. If, on 
the contrary, we lay the axe to the root of the tree; 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CXX111 



if we frankly and entirely shew our people their trans- 
gressions; if we speak home, and boldly declare to 
them that an evil apostate nature has been the sad 
source of all their actual sins ; if we proclaim that the 
sentence of condemnation is deserved, and is actually 
gone forth ; that there is no help, or hope of mercy, 
but in the Cross of Christ, in a simple and absolute 
dependence on his obedience unto death — but that 
through the meritorious efficacy of this death there is 
the fullest and most plenteous acceptance ; if we pub- 
lish the necessity of a total change of heart before a 
person can enjoy communion with God, or see his 
kingdom; then we shall find that God will not leave 
us without a witness. He will give a testimony to his 
own truth; and it will be proved, by positive and re- 
peated effects, that 'the word of God is quick and power- 
ful, and sharper than a two-edged sword.' Upon this point 
I speak experimentally; upon this point I can appeal 
with confidence to my own dear people. In carefully 
reviewing my ministry, though I cannot but fear that 
many of those confided to my charge have from time 
to time been removed "without Christ, and without 
hope,' yet I know (and may the Lord God receive all 
the honour!) that the Gospel, as delivered through my 
insufficiency, has been made to others f the savour of life 
unto life.' Yes — many, very many, through the aboundings 
of divine grace, and to the everlasting glory of the God 
of all consolation, have been taken from amongst us, 
concerning whom I would say, in the quaint language of 
the excellent Bishop Hall — "May I at the last lift 
up my head among the heels of these thy people!'" 

Robert Hall, in addressing a Missionary on his 
designation to an Indian post, gave the following 
advice. " Let your instruction be in the form of a 
testimony ; let it with respect to the mode of exhibit- 



cxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



ing it, though not to the spirit of the teacher, be 
dogmatic. Testify repentance towards God, and faith 
in our Lord Jesus Christ." This was eminently the 
case with Mr. Housman ; nor does it appear that the 
policy suggested in recommending the principles of 
Christianity to a pagan nation, will not be equally fit 
and efficacious as regards a congregation of professing 
christians — comprising, as all congregations of profes- 
sing christians necessarily do, many characters upon 
whom the darkness of a pagan ignorance, deepened by 
a worse than pagan indifference, rests. In fact, it has 
been found, ever since the message of salvation was first 
promulgated, to be just the most fit and efficacious 
policy. Where has the blessing of God, evidenced in 
moral transformations from sin to holiness, been ex- 
pressed by the largest and .happiest effects ? Not 
certainly where the Gospel was most elaborately de- 
fended ; but where, in humble dependence upon the 
secret but sure and quickening influences of the 
Spirit, it was most faithfully, and unambitiously, and 
unmixedly proclaimed. " Not by might, nor by power, 
but by my Spirit, saith the Lord ; " and, agreeably to 
this remarkable statement, he seems to take a peculiar 
pleasure in honouring and prospering that ministry 
which has trusted his Spirit most unreservedly. Men 
who have the real thing really at heart, will dare to be 
very simple and very unpretending in its cause. They will 
dare to have their talents depreciated, and their attain- 
ments disparaged ; to have their names cast out, and to be 
accounted the filth and offscouring of the earth, if by 
the foolishness of their preaching they may but win souls 
to Christ. The direct and downright preaching of 
Jesus, in these days of critical and carping hearers, 
requires far more boldness, self-denial, and consistency 
of decision, than is generally suspected. There is a 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxxv 



lamentable aversion, in all ranks and classes, to the 
undecorated propositions of the Bible. The embassy 
of divine mercy must be philosophized and rhetoricated, 
or we reject it. Plainness of speech is meanness of 
speech. We call for figures and flowers of oratory; 
we are luxurious in our tastes, and exorbitant in our 
demands; spiritual life and spiritual death, the vast 
themes of eternity, and the engrossing subjects of re- 
velation, are powerless to move us, unless tricked out 
and garnished with the pride of learning and the glory 
of the schools. We go to church or chapel as we 
would go to a lecture-room or a theatre — for intellectual 
instruction, or intellectual entertainment; and our ap- 
probation of the performer is in exact proportion to 
the skill which he exhibits, or the talent he displays. 
The fact is, we take the bread of life and the water 
of life, not because we hunger and thirst, but in com- 
pliance with the pressure of a fashionable duty ; and 
the preacher who best succeeds in turning the water 
into wine, and the bread into sumptuous fare, is the 
preacher under whom we "sit" with the greatest com- 
posure. 

In the month after that in which the foregoing letter 
to Mr. Wilson was written, the Rev. John Beethom, 
now and for many years the efficient and highly 
respected Head Master of the Free- Grammar School in 
Lancaster, entered upon the Curacy of St. Anne's. 
At this important post he remained until the end of 
1817. The letter which Mr. Housman addressed to 
him on receiving his resignation, indicates the friendly 
terms on which they parted. 

MY DEAE SIR, 

In acknowledging the receipt of your letter, conveying 
your resignation of the Curacy of St. Anne's, I beg 



cxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



leave to offer you my best thanks for your obliging 
readiness in rendering me, whenever I was under the 
necessity of asking it, more than the stipulated quantum 

of service. 

I take the liberty of expressing my unfeigned wishes, 
that wherever you are engaged, you may experience 
largely the presence and blessing of God, and be an 
honoured instrument in extending the kingdom of his 
Son. I am, dear Sir, yours faithfully, 

Robert Housman. * 

The untimely death of one of his nephews, who was 
drowned in the river Lune on the 6th of January 1814, 
drew from Mr. Housman the following letter to the be- 
reaved mother. Sorrow, he knew, is one of the appointed 
avenues through which the spirit of consolation and of 
grace passes to the heart; and, ever alive to the glory 
of God and the happiness of his creatures, he allowed 
no sadness which came within the circle of his own 
experience, to pass by unimproved. 

Jan. 6, 1814. 

MY DEAR SISTER, 

I know that you will not think me unkind in not calling 
upon you at present. My nerves are not of the strongest 
class; and you will accept this mode of my expressing 
my sincere condolence with yourself, Mr. H. and the 
whole family. 

Your trial is indeed severe, and nature will and 
ought to feel. I can judge of you by what I should 
have suffered. But if we can truly learn the lessons 

* I have great satisfaction in stating, and I do it with feelings of gratitude 
as well as pleasure, that Mr. Housman invariably received from Mr. Beethom, both 
during and subsequent to the period of their co-operation at St. Anne's, the most 
respectful and obliging evidences of regard. 



THE REV, R. HOUSMAN. 



cxxvii 



which all afflictive dispensations are intended to teach 
us, neither you nor I have endured or can endure one 
sorrow too many. They teach us three lessons. They 
teach us — 

1. To bow with unfeigned resignation to the will of 
God. That will is but another name for infinite wisdom 
and unbounded goodness. He permits the fall of a 
sparrow, and he appoints the death of a child; and 
what he does we know not now, but we shall know 
hereafter. For the present he says, "Be still — and 
know that I am God." I am glad to hear that you 
are enabled to exercise this quietness of spirit. 

2. They teach us to pray earnestly, that the visitation 
may be sanctified. While everything is easy and com- 
fortable around us, our depraved hearts are prone to 
cleave to the earth, to expect our happiness from objects 
and things here below. It is God's intention, when 
he afflicts, to rouse us from our dangerous dream of an 
earthly Paradise, that we may arise and seek the mercy 
of his gospel, the light of his countenance, and the joy 
of his salvation. He dries up the stream, that we may 
repair to the fountain. Oh let us pray most fervently 
that every affliction may be thus sanctified! The 
affliction will then lose its name. It will be pure 
mercy ; though clothed in a garment which our ignorance 
would neither choose nor relish. 

3. They teach us to consider our remaining mercies. 
Of the least of these we are utterly unworthy ; — but how 
many are still continued ! You have lost one dear child, 
but you have many affectionate children still around you, to 
be the solace of your declining years. I likewise have 
suffered, though not in the manner which at present 
calls forth your tears. But I have multitudes of mercies 
left. Let us, then, both pray for divine grace, that we 
may " love, and sing, and wonder." My kindest respects 



THE LIFE OF 



CXXV111 

to Mr. H. and your family, 
very affectionate 



I am, dear sister, your 
Robert Housman. 



On the occasion of the sudden death (in 1823) of 
the beloved sister to whom this letter was addressed, 
Mr. Housman, on the evening of the mournful day, 
gathered together the chief members of the family, at 
the house of one of his nieces, for the purpose of joining 
in thanksgiving to God for having taken to himself one 
so dear to them, and of supplication to the throne of grace 
for a spiritual improvement of the trying providence. 

From Lutterworth, where the Eev. John Gathorne 
of Kirkby Lonsdale, who had married his eldest daugh- 
ter, was curate, Mr. Housman addressed in 1814 the 
following letter to one of his sons. The infant whose 
birth it gratefully records, became in 1836 the wife of 
the Rev. Thomas Burrow of Pinner, and died in 1838, 
in the twenty-fifth year of her age. Of Mrs. Gathorne 
some affecting particulars will be found in a succeeding 
page. A long tried and faithful friend of her mother's, 
Miss Coltman of Leicester,* thus mentions her in a letter 
written immediately before her happy union with Mr. 
Gathorne. "June, 1813. I have had with me since 
my return the daughter of my much valued friend 
Mrs. Housman. She is a lovely young woman; sen- 
sible, pious, of elegant manners, and most amiable 
temper. It has been most highly gratifying to me to 
see the child of such a friend rising up a blessing to 
society. She indulges me with her affection, and has 
won no small share of mine." Mr. Gathorne was 
for some time curate of Heysham near Lancaster, and 
of Bisley in Gloucestershire, and afterwards held the 

* See page xxxvi. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxxix 



living of Tarvin near Chester. He died suddenly, at 
Kirkby Lonsdale, in the year 1831. 

Lutterworth, Friday, August 12, 1814. 

DEAR TOM, 

Through the protection and blessing of a gracious 
Providence, I reached this place a little after six o'clock 
yesterday evening, in health and safety, and about eleven 
hours after a little grand-daughter had been ushered into 
the world. Through the Lord's goodness, Jane had 
a most favourable time, and she and the baby are very 
well. I desire to be very thankful for the great mercy. 

Great mercy has likewise been shown unto me on 
my journey. I was preserved unhurt, in a moment of 
considerable danger. On my return from London last 
Wednesday the coach was much crowded, both with 
passengers and luggage. We were nineteen, within 
and without. About nine in the evening the coach 
was overturned; I was on the outside. Out of the 
nineteen only two escaped without injury; I was one 
of the favoured two. W T hen the coach was in the act 
of going over, I was preserved from all fear : and 
when we were down, I found myself near a gutter, 
with a box resting upon my leg. I soon extricated 
myself, and found that I had not received even a scratch. 
This wonderful and entire deliverance calls for the pro- 
foundest gratitude, and a life devoted to the deliverer. 
That scripture has since been much upon my mind — 
"I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of 
the Lord." Five of my fellow travellers were very 
seriously injured; whether the injuries will be fatal, I 
cannot say. * * Give my kindest love to your 
uncle William.— My love to the children; Miss B. 
and Mary B. * * Your very affectionate father, 

Robert Housman. 

r 



cxxx 



THE LIFE OF 



The other passenger who escaped unhurt, a Wesleyan 
Minister, had treated him with remarkable kindness, 
and for some time before the melancholy event occurred 
they had been deeply engaged in an interesting religious 
conversation. Mr. Housman would frequently revert 
to the deliverance recorded in this letter. "If any 
journey is "prosperous/" he says, in another communi- 
cation to another correspondent, " we are told that it is 
so 'by the will of God.' This view of the Lord — of 
his protection, presence, goodness — if it could be always 
in exercise, would do indeed what is said of the Phi- 
losopher's stone; it would transmute all into gold." 
And to the same correspondent, on a later occasion, he 
writes thus. "The gracious Eedeemer, who upholdeth 
all things by the word of his power, upheld me in my 
going out, and has mercifully restored me, in safety 
and health, to my dear family and people. It is 
my desire at least to be able to set up an Ebenezer, 
and that a very lofty one; and to inscribe upon it, in 
large and capital letters — f Hitherto hath the Lord 

HELPED ME.' " 

Mr. Housman, as these and other passages in the fore- 
going pages amply testify, was a decided and devout be- 
liever in a particular providence; the denial of which 
amounts, virtually and practically, to the denial of a 
providence altogether. He saw the creative and sus- 
taining power of God in the hyssop that springeth out 
of the wall, as well as in the cedar tree that is in 
Lebanon; and he saw the superintending and directing 
power of God in the smallest incidents of individual 
life, as well as in the grandest events of empires, or 
the majestic movements of the starry skies. "In 
the divine administration," he has beautifully said to 
an affectionate and valued friend, "the difference between 
what we call little and great occurrences is annihilated. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CXXxi 



There is nothing little ; for it is under the controul of 
the Great God, and is leading on to some great event." 
In a sermon preached on the occasion of the sudden 
death of fourteen persons, who, in consequence of the 
upsetting of a boat, were drowned in the river Lune 
in 1830, he thus inquires. " Shall we venture to speak 
of accident I We should speak profanely. We should 
utter the language of atheism. What! Has the 
Lord God Omnipotent resigned his government of the 
world? Has he abandoned his throne, and commis- 
sioned Accident to ' bring the wind out of his trea- 
sures,' and so 'to lift up the waves of the sea,' that 
immortal beings, without the divine bidding shall pass 
the gulph between time and eternity *? Oh ! no. The 
Lord reigneth, and let the earth rejoice. We are not 
living in a world deserted of God. Not a sparrow 
falleth to the ground without our heavenly Father. 
He giveth to all mankind 'life, and breath, and all 
things;' and when he issues the command, the 'life' 
is extinguished, the 'breath' departs, and the 'all 
things' pass over into the hands of other possessors. 
He saith, 'Return ye children of men;' and the children 
of men return, either beautified with salvation, or de- 
formed, defiled, and ruined, with all their iniquities 
upon them." "I wish you" (it is thus he addresses a 
beloved brother-minister) " I wish you a safe and 
happy journey ; safe, from what we miscall accidents ; 
and happy, in the enjoyment of the Saviour's presence." 
And in a communication to another highly valued clergy- 
man, the sentiment which pervades these passages breaks 
out in the following earnest and hopeful exclamation ; 
" Oh ! that you may come here, and that I may go to your 
people, in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ! 
An exchange of this kind cannot be by accident. It* may 
be a connecting link between some soul and salvation." 



cxxxii 



THE LIFE OF 



They who enjoyed the advantages, and, I may add, 
incurred the responsibility, of a regular attendance upon 
Mr. Housman's ministry, do not need to be told how 
frequently and with what strenuous emphasis he urged 
the necessity of non-conformity to the spirit of the 
world; with what experimental wisdom he explained 
the nature of the duty, and the means of performing it ; 
and with what calm and holy rapture he announced 
and dwelt upon the blessedness annexed to the per- 
formance. These were favourite subjects, and he treated 
them with power. The subjoined passages, extracted 
from a communication addressed in 1814 to one who 
halted between two opinions, shew how near his heart 
the important matter lay. 

"Do not," he says, "as you value your soul, be 
excusing your acknowledged worldliness by urging 
this or the other reason, such as your situation, your 
temptations, your connexions. Cut all reasonings 
short by these inquiries — What does the Bible say*? 
— What has God Almighty determined? — By what 
rule will the Judge of all proceed when he sitteth 
upon the throne of glory % Put these questions fairly, 
honestly, often, and you will be convinced that con- 
formity to the world is but another name for ruin. 
Yield to the conviction, and ask grace from the Lord 
that you may be one of his separated people; other- 
wise you will be separated from the Lord for ever. 
A christian should be satisfied with nothing that will 
not satisfy God. 

"I anticipate an objection. You will say, as thousands 
have said before, and as thousands are blindly saying 
now, that worldly pleasures are both innocent and 
necessary. Try their innocence, while I am ashing you 
the following questions. Have you any authority for 
expecting that the grace and blessing of God will 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN, CXXX111 



sanctify them to your soul 4 ? Do you actually find the 
cheering presence of the Lord with you, while you are 
partaking of them? Can you, in the society with 
which you then mingle, speak of the glorious Gospel, 
of a Saviour's love, of the costly price of redemption, 
of a christian's joys and sorrows, of a believer's in- 
heritance and crown? Can you, and do you, my 

dear T % retire from these amusements with a 

spiritual mind, suited to prayer and praise — disposed 
to hold fellowship with the Father, and with his Son 
Jesus Christ? Do they prepare your soul, by cherish- 
ing holy and heavenly affections, for the joys and 
songs of the spirits of the just made perfect? If they 
do not, Oh! how worthless. Would you have no ob- 
jection, while joining in worldly pleasures, to meet the 
stroke of death, or to hear the solemn summons 
'Come to judgment — stand before the Son of Man'? 
Now, my dear young friend, answer these questions 
honestly; as in the sight of God — and then they will 
be answered honestly ; and, having answered them, 
say whether the common pleasures and amusements 
of the world are innocent or not. In proportion as 
the heart is filled with them, there is no room for 
God; and God regards such a heart as an Idol's 

temple. Ah, my dear T , we have no time to 

squander away in frivolous follies, nor do they suit 
our perilous condition here. Enemies are encamped 
against our souls ; enemies without, enemies within ; 
their power is great, and their name is Legion. 
And besides this — yet a little while only is the light 
with us. Death is near. Eternity is at hand. Our 
business is, not to trifle, but to prepare to meet our 
God; to watch and pray; to resist the devil; to be 
humbled before God; to be trusting, loving, and 
serving Christ; to be pressing forward toward the 



exxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



Crown of Life; to be seeking to have an abundant 
entrance into the everlasting kingdom. 

ts Oh ! be not conformed to this world. Why should 
you'? It can furnish no solid or abiding joy. There 
is no Paradise below. God, reconciled in and through 
Christ Jesus, is the only happiness of the soul of man. 
His favour is better than life. His salvation is a 
diadem; a crown to the meanest beggar, who by faith 
receives it. His sanctifying grace is most precious. 
His presence is light in darkness, comfort in sorrow, 
the foretaste of heaven, the first-fruits of everlasting 
bliss. If you look for happiness in the Lord, disap- 
pointment cannot reach you: for the Lord whom you 
seek will not only be the Fountain of your joy, but 
will be the Guardian of your joy — yea, for ever 
and ever." 

Words similiar to these occur in one of the very last 
discourses he ever wrote. " My brethren," he exclaims, 
"let it be fixed in your mind as a certain eternal 
truth, that a realizing view of the glory and grace of 
God in Christ Jesus, is the true satisfying comfort of 
the immortal soul; is the means appointed by God 
of a growth in grace ; is a sure preparation for heavenly 
joy. If you seek comfort here, you will find it; if you 
seek it elsewhere, you will mourn your disappointment 
and folly — yea, and that for ever." The spirit of both 
these valuable extracts animates and pervades almost 
every letter in this volume; it was the habitual temper 
of Mr. Housman's life, and he carried it with him into 
the valley of shadows. The idea of the> glory and 
grace of God in Christ Jesus may be said not merely 
to have constantly engaged his mind, but to have filled 
it. "In the believing contemplation of them," says 
Mr. Statter, f *he found his daily pleasure and delight. 
They were his very meat and drink." 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CXXXV 



In the year 1815, the Rev. William Carus Wilson, 
at that time curate of Whittington near Kirkby Lons- 
dale, having failed to satisfy Dr. Law, the then Bishop 
of Chester, on some points at issue between Arminian 
and Calvinistic divines, was denied Priest's Orders at his 
lordship's hands. Shortly afterwards, from the same 
or a kindred cause, his license to preach was withdrawn, 
and he was suspended from the ministerial functions. 

This matter occasioned Mr. Housman extreme pain. 
With the promptness of true and generous friendship, 
he instantly despatched a letter to Mr. Wilson, offering 
to write to the Bishop of Gloucester, and endeavour to 
interest that excellent prelate in his behalf. "I am 
distressed," says he, "more than I ought to be, for you 
are suffering in the cause of your Master; and the 
promise is sure, that it will work for your good." And 
so it did ; but the process was keen and trying. " You 
can form no notion whatever," he says iD a letter of 
the 25th of October, "of the tumult, the triumph, and 
the slanders of this place :" — and in order, if possible, 
to obviate some of the effects of calumny, he deter- 
mined to send an explanatory communication to the 
public paper. "I have studiously endeavoured," he 
observes, still addressing Mr. Wilson, "to avoid every 
expression which could be construed to have even the 
most indirect allusion to the Bishop. My object was, 
not to censure any, but to vindicate the cause and the 
persons which were slandered. Your delicacy must not 
be hurt at some expressions of commendation. It 
seemed quite necessary that the statement should be 
full, and I have not written a word contrary to my 
convictions and my feelings.' * # ' Wherefore do 
the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing ' 
I expect great and glorious results from the storm which 
is raging." 



cxxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



The following is the communication alluded to in the 
foregoing paragragh. 

To the Editor of the Lancaster Gazette, 

SIR, 

Various and contradictory reasons for the temporary 
professional silence of the late officiating minister of 
Whittington have been assigned in this town and neigh- 
bourhood, and assigned, it may be candidly supposed, 
through the want of due information. Some of these 
reasons are too vague and trifling to be noticed; and 
one of them is too horrible to remain unnoticed. A 
regard, not merely to the honoured individual who is 
calumniated in his absence, but to circumstances far 
more imperious than the partialities of friendship, compels 
me to correct the cruel misrepresentation. It is affirmed 
amongst us, at least virtually, to be Mr. Wilson's belief 
that "if a person can only persuade himself that his 
state for eternity is once safe, he may then indulge in 
the grossest sins, without fear or danger." If there 
could be only ten men found in the united kingdom, 
who, with true religious sensibility, would shudder with 
abhorrence at the first mention of such an abominable 
position, amongst the foremost of the ten would appear 
my very excellent friend. 

I shall endeavour to obviate the strange misrepresen- 
tation, not by discussing the doctrines which Mr. Wilson 
preaches, but by exhibiting his practice ; not by detailing 
the principles which he enforces, but by shewing the 
effects of those principles upon his own heart and 
conduct. The following outline, though faint, is cer- 
tainly correct. In the pulpit, Mr. Wilson was plain, 
faithful, earnest, and affectionate. His whole manner 
was an echo to an apostle's declaration — f l seek not 
yours, but you.' He collected together the children of 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxxxvii 



the parish,, to the amount of one hundred, and formed 
a Sunday School in his own house, where he and his 
friends were the willing and assiduous teachers. That 
he might preserve the Sabbath from violation, in the 
varied forms of idleness, folly, or intemperance, he 
received on the evening of the sacred day the young 
men of the village into his house, where he endeavoured 
to improve them in reading, and in the knowledge of 
their several duties to God and man. He was also 
alive to the temporal distresses of his people, and had 
formed excellent plans for the permanent comfort of 
the poor. He considered the parish as his more 
extended family, and his thoughts, his time, his purse, 
and his heart, were devoted to their service. He was 
their prudent counsellor, their kind friend, and their 
upright pastor. He is followed by their benedictions 
and their tears: and his name will remain fragrant 
among them — perhaps to distant generations. 

I shall be happy, Mr. Editor, if this brief but faith- 
ful delineation of the holy and useful conduct of Mr. 
Wilson should be the means of removing misconception 
from amongst us, and of checking its effects. Every 
generous mind rejoices when the veil which misappre- 
hension had thrown *over an excellent character, is 
removed, and it is suffered to shine forth in its genuine 
brightness. 

Veritas. 

This letter produced the desired effect. As Mr. 
Housman observes in another communication, "People 
seldom reply to facts, if these facts are stated with 
proper temper, and with a strict regard to truth." 
The letter of Veritas accordingly remained unanswered ; 
and the indecent triumph which had continued up 
to the very day of its appearance in the Gazette, 

s 



CXXXV111 



THE LIFE OF 



suddenly ceased. Mr. Housman expressed great thank- 
fulness to God for this issue. The injurious rumours 
had done much mischief in Lancaster. Many of the 
congregation of St. Anne's had been insulted, some 
directly, some indirectly; and most of them were cast 
down in sorrow. The circumstance had blinded and 
hardened opposers still more than ever. Mr. Wilson 
was held forth as an Antinomian, and Mr. Housman's 
doctrine was identified with his. But the mouth of 
the gainsayer was stopped. 

The next letter which Mr. Wilson received from 
his venerable friend contained the subjoined passage 
in reference to this painful dispensation. 

" I desire to be thankful and to rejoice that you 
have mercies as well as trials. The peace of God in 
your soul, and domestic comforts without, are a very 
gracious counterbalance indeed, to the other sufferings 
which for a time you are called to endure. # * I 
suppose, before this reaches you, you will have heard 
from the Bishop. I do not expect much that is 
favourable. However, if his plans be not the Lord's, 
his determinations will be strangely overruled. The 
carpet is yet folded up. You see only a small part, 
and that on the rough and unseemly side. It will 
shortly be unfolded. You will then behold the whole 
at a glance, and behold the whole on the right side; 
and surely you will recognize the hand of a Father in 
the workmanship ; and behold, in the colours, the rich 
tints of holiness, wisdom, and grace." 

Mr. Wilson was shortly afterwards ordained to the 
Vicarage of Tunstal. In a letter to Mrs. Wilson, 
dated Feb. 22, 1816, Mr. Housman makes the follow- 
ing observations. "I hope that you will soon receive 
back your dear husband, commissioned and fully au- 
thorized by man to preach the everlasting Gospel. He 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxxxix 



long since received his commission from the exalted 
Redeemer; and what an account have they to give,, 
by whom the execution of that commission was sus- 
pended ! * * As William has been more calumniated 
in Lancaster than in any other place, I should wish 
him to preach his first sermon in my pulpit." 

During Mr. Wilson's residence at Tunstal, a domestic 
affliction drew from the sympathizing heart of his friend 
the following christian consolation. 

"You are all in the furnace; but purification, 
everlasting purification, will be the gracious issue. 
And then, what a mercy, to have such occasion, from 
the states of mind in which your dear sisters are 
preserved, to mingle Hallelujahs with sighs! ' A man 
can receive nothing' — no, nothing of what you mention, 
— ' except it be given him from above' — and where 
the Lord begins, he will make an end. Chasms in 
families are painful things; but our pains are sadly 
selfish if they lead us ever to wish that the increasing 
Chorus of Heaven, and the completed blessedness of our 
friends, should be delayed on our account." 

In a letter to Mr. Wilson, bearing date the 22nd of 
November, 1815, Mr. Housman, having thanked his 
correspondent for a work on the Baptismal Service of 
the English Church, declares his intention of proceed- 
ing to put together, with a view to publication, a few 
thoughts on the same important and interesting subject. 

" My little treatise," he says " would be ' An Inquiry 
whether the Church of England maintains, and the 
Bible teaches, that Baptism is regeneration, or necessarily 
conveys the blessing.' I should consider two points; 
first, the mind of the Church, as declared y in her for- 
mularies ; — and secondly, the mind of God, as revealed in 
his word. The nature and necessity of regeneration 



cxl 



THE LIFE OF 



would first of all be stated, and the mind of the Church 
would be sought in her baptismal service — in her defini- 
tion of a Sacrament — and in her article on Baptism. The 
point which I believe can be satisfactorily maintained 
is this — that our Church leads us to expect the spiritual 
regeneration of the baptized infant, not through the 
instrumentality of the baptismal water, but as an an- 
swer to the prayer of faith." 

Admitting that the Church does this, it cannot be de- 
nied that she does something more. In a manner the 
most distinct, she assumes, in all cases without exception, 
and consequently in many cases which cannot possibly 
warrant the assumption, that the prayer of faith has been 
presented ; and proceeds, in conformity with this conclu- 
sion, to declare, also in all cases without exception, the 
bestowment of regeneration. The same service is pre- 
scribed and used in every instance; and unless, as Bishop 
Marsh observes, the expression " it hath pleased God to 
regenerate," is synonymous with the expression "it 
shall please God to regenerate," unless the past is the 
same with the future, the Church of England must be 
considered as maintaining that in every instance the 
sacrament of Baptism is necessarily accompanied by the 
blessing of spiritual regeneration. The ingenious shifts 
to which good men are often driven, in order to defend 
a Church of which they are sincere and loving minis- 
ters, are among some of the most painful evidences of 
the impolicy (to use no harsher word) of the authorita- 
tive establishment of rigorous articles of belief.* 

When this treatise was begun, or whether it was 

* The Oxford Divines are entitled to the credit of great frankness on this subject. 
Whilst vast numbers of the evangelical clergy of the Church of England are either 
trying not to see the doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration in her formularies, or are 
silently lamenting it, they, with a directness which does them honour, come boldly 
forward to declare and maintain it. "I know, my Lord," says Dr. Pusey, in his 
Letter to the Bishop of Oxford, "I know I have shrunk from stating fully the. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxli 



ever ended, I know not; but Mr. Housman once lent 
to me a part of it, fairly transcribed by his own hand, 
and extending over fifteen pages of a copy-book. The 
manuscript I discovered in his bureau after his death; 
and notwithstanding its incompleteness, I have deter- 
mined to print it here. Whatever may be thought of 
the result of the " Inquiry," there can be no doubt, 
I conceive, of the admirable temper of christian wis- 
dom in which the opening paragraphs are written. 
Would that all controversy, in all places, were con- 
ducted in a like spirit ! - From any other, the blessing 
of heaven is sure to be withheld. 

An Inquiry whether the Church of England maintains, 
and the Bible teaches, that Baptism is Regeneration, 
or necessarily conveys the blessing. 
Controversy on religious subjects too frequently be- 
comes, through the depravity of the heart, the occasion 
of sin. When opinions are stated and maintained, 
not from a regard to truth, but to victory in the 
argument; not with a view to the glory of God, but 
to the exaltation of self or of a party; not with a 
design to inform and conciliate, but to confound or to 
irritate; the unhappy disputant has reason to mourn 
over his work. He may have defended a doctrine 
ably, but h£ has defended it with unrighteous armour. 
He may have gained a triumph, but he has not 

degree of evidence which there is, that baptismal regeneration is the doctrine of the 
Church of England, lest in these days when men hold so laxly by their church, 
they should rather forsake her than embrace her doctrine. * * Not as if I enter- 
tained any doubt that we speak with our church on this point, and that every 
syllable of her teaching and her services for baptism, confirmation, and the 
catechism goes the same way, and that her Articles imply the same." How an 
honest man, whether lay or clerical, who believes the Church of England to 
maintain Baptismal Regeneration, and at the same time believes the doctrine 
to be unscriptural, can remain one moment longer a member of that Church, is 
to me perfectly inexplicable. 



cxlii 



THE LIFE OF 



"'gained his brother." He may have pleased his sect, 
but he will not have pleased his God. He may be 
accosted, at the Last Day, with a very alarming ques- 
tion — "Who hath required this at thine hands'?" He 
may have brought a curse upon himself, and not a 
blessing. 

On the other hand, when the discussion of a serious 
subject is undertaken with seriousness of soul; under 
a real impression of its vital consequence to the moral 
and eternal condition of mankind ; in a spirit of cordial 
kindness towards those who may differ in opinion; 
and with the prayer of David in the heart, " Oh ! send 
out thy light and thy truth ; let them lead me ; " — when 
the end is important, when the motives are pure, and 
the means blameless ; controversy loses all its deformity, 
and most of its danger. Nay, it may be the instru- 
ment of arresting the progress of some fatal error, of 
diffusing the knowledge of some momentous truth, or, 
at least, of uniting those in affection, who cannot yet 
be united in sentiment. In the exercise of these 
principles and tempers, the author of this Inquiry 
wishes and prays that he may live and die. 

The question at issue is of unspeakable importance. 
It involves consequences which affect the salvation of 
souls, and the honour of God. If baptism be regene- 
ration, or necessarily convey the blessing, they who 
deny the doctrine "are found false witnesses of God." 
They are incurring the guilt of making those sad 
whom the Lord hath not made sad. They are robbing 
the Saviour's sacred ordinance of its grandest character 
and office. They may be bringing upon themselves 
a swift destruction. On the other hand, if the " out- 
ward and visible sign," be not, of necessity, accompanied 
by "the inward and spiritual grace" — by "a death 
unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness" — they 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxliii 



who affirm that it is so accompanied,, are encountering 
a responsibility most awful and overwhelming. They 
are confirming their fellow-sinners in most fatal igno- 
rance ; they are leading them to seek an evidence of 
their acceptance with God in an external rite, and not 
in the conscious experience of a divine operation upon 
their souls; in a sacramental sign, and not in the 
baptism by the Holy Ghost; and they may stand 
convicted, at the Last Day, of having very largely 
contributed to their eternal damnation. 

Before the subject can be suitably discussed, it is 
necessary that our views, both of the necessity and the 
nature of Regeneration, should be scriptural and dis- 
tinct. 

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth; and 
the description which he has given us, in his sacred 
word, of the natural condition of man as a sinner fallen 
from God, must be altogether correct. To deny this 
is blasphemy. And what is that description % " There 
is none that understandeth ; there is none that seeketh 
after God." "The heart is deceitful above all things, 
and desperately wicked; who can know if?" "For 
we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, 
deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in 
malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." 
" That which is born of the flesh, is flesh " — and "the 
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; 
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, 
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, 
seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revel- 
lings, and such like." " So then, they that are in the 
flesh, cannot please God." "The carnal mind is 
enmity against God." "Dead in trespasses and sins." 
"And were by nature the children of wrath, even as 
others." And, if we may venture to add the suffrage 



cxliv 



THE LIFE OF 



of high human authority to the infallible declarations 
of Jehovah, the 9th Article of the Established Church 
assures us, that man is "of his own nature inclined 
to evil." 

Such is man, as fallen from God. He is depraved 
in every faculty, and defiled in thought, motive, and 
conduct. He is base, wretched, and ruined. But "if 
any man be in Christ, he is A new creature." He 
is regenerated, born again, born of God, renewed in 
the spirit of his mind. He has received from the 
Holy Ghost a new nature. He is blessed with spiri- 
tual discernment and spiritual feeling. Hence, he 
repents. He acquiesces and trusts in the redemption 
of Jesus, as all his salvation and all his desire. He is 
emancipated from his former idolatrous attachment to 
an evil world. He loves God in Christ. He prays, 
with the spirit and with the understanding. He obeys 
the Lord. He takes hold of the grace and promise 
of his Saviour, while fighting against the enemies of 
his soul; and he is prepared, through the diligent use 
of means, and in the exercise and growth of holy af- 
fections, for the enjoyment of God both here and for 
ever. This change in the mind and heart is Regene- 
ration. It is effected by the same Power which made 
the worlds. And "except a man be born again, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God." He cannot relish 
the Gospel of his grace. He can have no meetness 
for the inheritance of the saints in light. The worship 
of heaven, the singing of the "new song," the company 
of saints and angels, and the presence of the Most 
Holy God, would be torment to his unholy soul. 

These particulars being premised, I proceed to in- 
quire — Is Baptism regeneration, or does it necessarily 
convey that essential blessing 4 ? I trust it will appear 
that the doctrine is neither taught by the Established 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. Cxlv 

Church, nor countenanced by the Bible. I will en- 
deavour to ascertain the mind of the Church, as 
declared in her formularies; and the mind of God, as 
revealed in his own word. I examine 

li The mind of the Church. This we shall discover 
in her baptismal service, and in her Article on Baptism. 
I consider 

1. The Public Baptism of Infants. In the first 
Collect we are taught thus to pray. " We beseech 
thee, for thine infinite mercies, that thou wilt mercifully 
look upon this child ; wash him and sanctify him with 
the Holy Ghost." Here the Church presumes, that 
very importunate supplication is offered up to a faithful 
God, for the renewal and sanctification of the child. 
In the second Collect we thus address the Father of 
mercies; " Almighty and Immortal God, the aid of all 
that need, the helper of all that flee to thee for succour, 
the life of them that believe, and the resurrection of 
the dead; we call upon thee for this infant, that he, 
coming to thy holy Baptism, may receive remission of 
his sins by spiritual regeneration. Receive him, O 
Lord, as thou hast promised by thy well-beloved Son, 
saying ask and ye shall have ; seek and ye shall 

FIND ; KNOCK AND IT SHALL BE OPENED UNTO YOU. 

So give now unto us that ask : let us that seek, find ; 
open the gate unto us that knock; that this infant 
may enjoy the everlasting benediction of thy heavenly 
washing, and may come to the eternal kingdom which 
thou hast promised by Christ our Lord." In this 
Collect, we ask, and seek, and knock, that the vast 
blessing of Regeneration may then be granted, while, in 
reverent obedience to the Lord's command, we dedicate 
the child to God, in his own most holy ordinance. 
We do not plead any revealed or supposed divine ap- 
pointment, by which the " inward and spiritual grace" 

t 



cxlvi 



THE LIFE OF 



shall invariably accompany the " outward and visible 
sign;" we simply plead the general promise, which 
is made to those who ask, whatever be the spiritual 
mercy which they implore. That this view of the 
Church's meaning is correct, we have the strongest 
evidence, in a subsequent address to the Godfathers 
and Godmothers: — <e Dearly beloved, ye have brought 
this child here to be baptized ; ye have prayed that our 
Lord Jesus Christ would vouchsafe to receive him, to 
release him of his sins, to sanctify him with the Holy 
Ghost, to give him the kingdom of heaven, and ever- 
lasting life. Ye have heard also that our Lord Jesus 
Christ hath promised in his Gospel to grant all these 
things that ye have prayed for ; which promise, he, for 
his part, will most surely keep and perform." In this 
address, the sponsors are reminded of three things ; first, 
that they have prayed that spiritual and eternal blessings 
may be the portion of the infant whom they have 
brought to be baptized ; secondly, that they have heard 
the promise of the Saviour to grant what they have 
supplicated; thirdly, that Jesus will assuredly fulfil his 
his own sacred engagement. 

Here, then, I take a firm and a decided stand. I 
would appeal to the understanding and the conscience 
of my reader, while I ask — Is there the slightest inti- 
mation here given, that the image of God is expected 
to be impressed upon the child's soul, through the in- 
strumentality of the baptismal water % Is not the 
assured hope of the immense mercy, grounded exclu- 
sively on the fidelity of God to his general promise, of 
which we have ventured "to put him in remembrance 
Unless impenetrable confusion and darkness rest upon 
the language of our Church, she has certainly taught 
us to look for the regeneration of the infant, in answer 
to the prayer of faith — in the fulfilment of the Lord's 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxlvii 



promise, which has been pleaded — "Ask, and it shall 
be given you ; seek and ye shall find ; knock and it 
shall be opened unto you." Many other supplications 
are presented before the throne of mercy, that the re- 
generating and strengthening influences of the Spirit 
may be imparted to the child, in this most solemn hour 
of its dedication to the Christian's God. 

We are now arriving, I trust calmly and rationally, 
at a conclusion, intended by our Church, and sanc- 
tioned by the Scriptures. This is the conclusion. If 
the several petitions for the new and spiritual birth of 
the infant have been offered up in faith — in a steady, 
unwavering reliance on the promises and mercy of 
Jehovah, through the mediation of Jesus — the conse- 
quence is sure. The blessing will and must be given, 
for the Lord is faithful. He cannot deny himself. ' 
He has said — "If two of you shall agree on earth, as 
touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done 
for them of my Father which is in heaven." "All 
things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye 
shall receive." These promises are clear, absolute, ir- 
revocable. Our Church, therefore, presuming that the 
supplicants have been upright, earnest, and believing, 
in their prayers ; and knowing that the truth and 
honour of the great God are pledged to the fulfilment 
of his word, proceeds, after the child is baptized, to 
the work of grateful acknowledgment. "We yield 
thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath 
pleased thee to regenerate this infant by thy Holy 
Spirit, to receive him for thine own child by adoption, 
and to incorporate him into thy Holy Church." The 
conclusion which is here drawn, concerning the regen- 
eration of the infant, is recognized, naturally and 
consistently, in several of our subsequent services. 

But the following objections will doubtless be here 



cxlviii 



THE LIFE OF 



urged, or rather repeated. Of the vast numbers 
which are baptized, few, comparatively, as they advance 
to youth and maturity, give any scriptural evidence 
that they have been truly regenerated. Old things 
are not passed away, and behold all things are not 
become new ; and therefore they are not the " new 
creatures " described in the Bible, and " born of the 
Spirit." They " commit sin," allowedly and habitually ; 
and therefore, according to the decision of eternal truth, 
they are not " born of God." (1 John hi. 9.) The 
justness of these representations and inferences cannot 
be denied, unless we are perversely inattentive to the 
moral evil which triumphs through the land, and are 
blind and deaf to the plainest declarations of the word 
of the Lord. 

To what, then, are we to impute the absence of the 
all-important blessing of regeneration, in multitudes 
who were baptized in their infancy ? Shall we dare 
to suspect the fidelity of God to his engagements? 
"Let God be true, but every man a liar." Shall we 
censure the conclusions of the Established Church as 
rash and unauthorized? She has done nothing more 
nor worse than exercise a judgment of charity, and a 
principle of faith ; — a judgment of charity, in supposing 
those to be sincere and "believing," who have been 
joining in her services ; and a principle of faith, in 
expecting a fulfilment of the promises of God. Where 
these promises are not fulfilled, there has been a very 
criminal want, or defect, of reliance on the divine 
mercy, and faithfulness in Christ Jesus. And in many 
an assembly collected for the professed purpose of 
imploring for a child the mercies of the everlasting 
Covenant, the scripture has a renewed and melancholy 
accomplishment: — "And he did not many mighty 
works there, because of their unbelief" 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxlix 



This view of the subject is solemn and affecting. 
It may remind many of their exceeding sinfulness. It 
will warrant the following appeal to their consciences 
— "You brought an infant to be baptized. So far you 
did well. The ordinance is of divine appointment, and 
to be . had in reverence. But you did not bring him 
in the arms of faith. You did not rest upon the 
promises. You did not wrestle with God in prayer 
for a spiritual blessing. You were satisfied with the 
external rite. The day when you professed to dedicate 
an immortal creature to the service and honour of the 
most Holy God, instead of being a day of solemnity 
and supplication, perhaps was a day of folly and of 
feasting, of levity and of guilt. You had therefore 
a sure though an awful interest in one scripture at 
least — e Let not that man think that he shall receive 
anything of the Lord.' Go, then, and learn by ex- 
perience what that meaneth — 'Wherefore I abhor 
myself, and repent in dust and ashes.' " 

I consider 

2. The Article on Baptism. 

[Here the Manuscript abruptly terminates.'] 

In the year 1816, Mr. Housman laid before the 
public the first number of "The Pastoral Visitor, or 
a Summary of Christian Doctrine and Practice." It 
was prefaced by an affectionate Address to the 
Congregation of St. Anne's, of which the following is 
a copy. 

MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

The shadows of the evening are drawing fast around 
me. Increasing years, and a feeble constitution, concur 
in reminding me that the time cannot be far distant, 
when the place which knoweth me must know me no 



cl 



THE LIFE OF 



more. But the moments which are hurrying forward 
the hour of our final separation, find me, if I mistake 
not, more and more anxious that you all may obtain 
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. I seem to perceive, 
with more affecting clearness than ever, the straitness 
and the difficulties of the way to eternal life : and that 
between the favour and the wrath of God, between 
a soul saved and a soul lost for ever, there is a differ- 
ence which nothing but the experience of Eternity can 
truly explain. 

Under the impression of these views and circumstances, 
it is my intention, so long as I am continued among 
you, to place in your hands, at the close of each 
succeeding quarter of a year, a plain discourse upon 
some important subject. The doctrines which may be 
stated, explained, and applied, are those which you 
have heard for nearly twenty years. I am well per- 
suaded that they are the doctrines of the Established 
Church, and that their tendency is holy. I have 
likewise evidence, which cannot deceive me, that they 
are the great truths of the Gospel of Christ. That 
evidence is nothing less than the witness and the seal 
of the living God. He has borne the testimony of 
his approbation to the preaching of "Christ crucified.' , 
He has fulfilled his promise, that his word shall not 
return unto him void. He has given the increase. 

I look around you, and I see, in many an instance, 
that the blind have received their sight : that the lame 
have obtained strength, and are walking steadily in the 
narrow path : that the lepers are cleansed — have 
exchanged the pollutions of allowed iniquity, for repen- 
tance, and faith, and the love of God: that the deaf 
have heard the glad tidings of salvation, with astonish- 
ment and joy: that the dead in sin are raised to 
spiritual life, and to the enjoyment of spiritual comfort : 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN, 



Cli 



and that the poor to whom the gospel has been preached,, 
are blessed with the unsearchable riches of Christ. 
When I see this exact agreement between what is 
described and promised in the Bible, and what is actually 
and evidently wrought among you, I see a renewed 
answer to the Saviour's supplication to his Father, 
"Sanctify them, through thy truth:" and I need not 
an angel from heaven to tell me — Here is the Gospel 
of Jesus; for here is the finger of God. 

I beg your prayers, that the blessing of the Lord 
may prosper the intended publication : and that we may 
rejoice together in the day of Christ, with an exceeding 
and eternal joy. I am, my dear people, your faithful 
friend, and affectionate minister, 

R. Housman. 

Only sixteen numbers of the work, barely sufficient 
to make a volume, were completed. The intervals 
between the appearance of the several publications soon 
extended beyond the prescribed term, and, in one or 
two instances, years elapsed. Though at different 
periods of his life he printed many sermons, Mr. Hous- 
man greatly disliked the unavoidable trouble and in- 
convenience attending the preparation of writings for 
the press, and was glad to escape them whenever he 
could. Solely to this aversion must be attributed, 
first the suspension, and then the abandonment, of an 
undertaking which afforded him, in pecuniary respects, 
considerable encouragement. 

One of these sermons (that on Prayer) incurred no 
small degree of opposition on the ground of its sup- 
posed Sabellianism. Mr. Housman, deeply pained by 
this suspicion of heterodoxy, referred the discourse, 
through the medium of a mutual friend, to the censure 
of the Rev. Wm. Roby, of Manchester. Mr. Roby, 



clii 



THE LIFE OF 



having perused it with great attention, desired Mr. 
Housman to rest easy under the imputation ; and ex- 
pressed himself persuaded that such preaching could not 
fail to be attended with abundant blessings from the 
Spirit of Grace. 

It^was probably owing to the suspicions excited by 
his excellent discourse on Prayer, that he published, 
in the sixteenth number of the Pastoral Visitor, a 
sermon on the Deity of Christ, in which his deliberate 
belief of this ancient and mysterious doctrine was placed 
beyond the shadow of a doubt. An answer, under the 
title of "The Friendly Monitor— intended as a Com- 
panion to the Pastoral Visitor by the Bev. Robert 
Housman, A. B. — containing remarks on that gentle- 
man's triumphant proofs of the Deity of Christ, by 
Omicron," appeared in 1819 at Liverpool.* By the 
arguments of this pamphlet Mr. Housman seems to 
to have been unconvinced; for in the volume of his 
sermons published by Seeley in 1836, the discourse 
which had provoked it is reprinted. One or two 
passages, however, which appeared, upon mature re- 
flection, to be inconsistent with Christian liberality of 
sentiment, are omitted. The sermon is a very good 
one; by no incompetent judge it has been pronounced 
to be a beautiful specimen of close and accurate logic. 
This praise admits of qualification; for the subject of 
it is chargeable with taking for granted, or assuming 
without analysis and proof, the rightness of the premises ; 
a proceeding obviously incorrect, if the refutation of 
Unitarianism was the object of the composition — though, 
it should be added, proper enough, supposing that 
object merely to have been, the declaration of indi- 



* The author having suppressed his name, it is no business of mine to dis- 
close it. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cliii 



vidual opinion. Omicron's reply possesses the merit 
of exhibiting, within contracted limits, some of the 
principal grounds of dissent from the popular hypothesis 
against which it is directed; but it is written in a 
flippant and contemptuous style, more objectionable (if 
possible) than the solemn dogmatism which too fre- 
quently characterizes the productions of orthodox theo- 
ry- 

If there was one doctrine of his church to which 
Mr. Housman attached a greater degree of importance 
than to another, it was assuredly that of the Deity of 
Christ. This doctrine, without which, in his estimation, 
the kindred hypothesis of the Atonement would have 
lost its worth, he made in early life the foundation of 
his system, and from this elect and precious foundation 
he never moved. To him it was unspeakably more 
than a question of mere critical interest or metaphysical 
speculation; it lay at the very root of his personal 
piety; it sustained his dearest hopes, calmed and dispelled 
his fears, deepened the solemnity and vividly displayed 
the sinfulness of sin, and magnified the mystery of 
redeeming grace. It was no cold and barren theorem, 
taken into the mind to lie there fruitless; but a warm 
and quickening spirit, treasured in the heart. It gave 
intelligibility to the incomprehensible idea of God, and 
brought it into contact with the affections. It converted 
an overwhelming abstract proposition into a distinct and 
endearing practical reality. It acted impulsively; and 
unless doctrines thus act, of what value are the best'? 
They cannot justify, unless they sanctify. It acted 
directively ; it was a doctrine of instruction, energy, and 
effect. It gave a vast consequence and an awful 
grandeur to the Bible ; it gave life and infinite sincerity 
to invitations, eternal security to promises, constraining 

v 



cliv 



THE LIFE OF 



power to motives, irresistible authority to precepts, 
beauty and excellence to commands, unfading brightness 
to the crown of glory. He felt that it did for his 
moral being what no other doctrine could have done; 
that without it he would have been less pure, less holy, 
less vowed and set apart to God. It enlarged and 
bettered his nature ; it contributed mightily to the supreme 
end for which the dispensation of the Gospel was alone 
designed; the extrication of the soul from evil, the 
regeneration of the soul by new and ennobling princi- 
ples, and the fellowship of the soul, both here and 
hereafter, with the Father and with his Son. It was 
the source of his sweetest and most abiding bliss. It 
was the secret of all his graces; his profound hu- 
mility, his child-like trust, his reverential gratitude, his 
meek and lowly patience, his adoring love. "If," says 
he, in a published sermon, "you deny Deity to Jesus, 
you do that to Christianity which you would effect in 
the animal system if you withdrew the blood. You 
remove the vivid principle which circulates through 
every part, and which gives and continues animation 
and vigour to the whole." And only two years before 
his death he thus wrote. "Ah! what an unspeakable 
interest and dignity does the divinity of Jesus give to 
every part of his religion ! If there be one attainment 
to be valued, for its effects, more than another, I be- 
lieve it is the attainment of saying unto him, with 
steady realizing faith, and with spiritual feeling of soul, 
'My Lord, and my God.'" Whether right or wrong, 
such were his convictions ; and these convictions he boldly 
declared. How closely and strongly they had fastened 
about his heart, several passages in the letters and 
extracts which I am enabled to lay before the public, 
strikingly attest. 

No man valued doctrines more than he did, as 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



civ 



means ; no man regarded doctrines less than he did,, 
as ends. It is indeed awful to look at them as ends. 
They are merely the scaffolding — the building is holi- 
ness ; and holiness, to speak of it compendiously, is the 
character of Jesus, is " God with us," inwrought by the 
creative energy of the Spirit. It was the vital power 
of orthodoxy, not the inert form, that Mr. Housman 
loved and cherished, and sought to extend. For bald 
literalities of doctrine, for sterile and self-terminating 
principles, he had neither taste nor feeling. Faith, he 
knew, is something better than belief; it is belief, 
adopted by the will, and substantially realized by the 
affections; belief, operating in the way of moral obedi- 
ence, loving, diligent, and prompt, and issuing in the 
habitual practice of righteousness, and the sacred 
splendour of all holy performances of christian virtue. 
Religion, if it is not " heart-work," is nothing but a 
dangerous mockery ; for the grand object of the Gospel 
is moral, and its final appeals are to the moral depart- 
ments of our being. Mere moonlight knowledge, 
without warmth, is a perfectly profitless and un- 
productive possession. Divine illumination is never 
cold. 

"The character of a man in the sight of God," Mr. 
Housman has said, "is not formed by his creeds or 
notions ; but by his dispositions : by the state of his 
heart. The Devil has knowledge, and a right creed 
doubtless ; but he continues a devil still. Angels have 
knowledge, but they have something better; they have 
a right state of the heart towards the Lord." "Mere 
notions must stand by. The heart must move to the 
cross of Christ; and then, promises, in glorious abun- 
dance, crowd around the believer, and pronounce him 
blessed indeed." "It is our duty, through searching 
of the Scriptures with diligence, to learn what is truth ; 



clvi 



THE LIFE OF 



but if the knowledge of the truth does not reach from 
the head to the heart ; if it does not lead our affections 
to the Lamb of God, and lead us to trust, and love, 
and obey him, absolutely, perfectly, and sincerely, our 
faith is a dead faith, and the truth has not made us 
free. Opinions must be turned into feelings, before 
they can either inspire or sustain the life of the spirit. 
The soul can no more exist upon notions than the 
body can exist upon the idea of food" " In the 
matter of our salvation," it is thus he writes in 1829, 
"what are mere notions? Let them stand by. The 
purest creed in Christendom, if it be only a creed, can 
never turn aside the uplifted arm of the destroying 
Angel, in the day of the Lord's fierce anger. It 
cannot bring peace of conscience, nor secure forgiveness 
with God; but will leave, at the last, its unhappy 
possessor without the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem. 
'But ye are come,'' says the Apostle, 'to Jesus the 
Mediator of the New Covenant, and to the blood of 
sprinkling.' 'Ye' are come.' Here is movement of the 
soul, earnest activity of the soul, in approaching Jesus, 
and the precious blood of redemption. Oh ! yes : there 
must be the heart's application to the Saviour for the 
protection of his blood of atonement ; the heart's reliance 
on the blood of atonement as the only Passover; and 
the heart's assured expectation, that through the received 
atonement all is peace with God. Suffer me to 
desire that you will commit to memory one short 
sentence; 'For with the heart man believeth unto 
righteousness.' If you be often remembering this 
scripture, and praying to know its meaning and its 
power, you may be receiving a benefit and a blessing 
long after the tongue which gives you the advice has 
ceased to address you, and is stifled in the dust." 
The same enlarged and spiritual views are still more 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clvii 



explicitly unfolded in the annexed passage from an 
unpublished manuscript. 

er The foundation for a sinner, is the foundation of 
God. It is written, 'The foundation of God standeth 
sure.' If we compare Isaiah xxviii. 16. with 1 Peter 
ii, 6. we learn who and what, in the full and strong 
sense of the word, is the foundation. It is Jesus, 
the Son of God; Jesus, dying, and rising from the 
dead; Jesus, magnifying the Law, and enduring its 
curse ; Jesus, undertaking to bring many sons unto 
glory, and to bring much glory to every perfection of his 
Father. Jesus is the foundation, and the foundation of 
God. He is the foundation of God — for the wisdom 
of God, in the everlasting counsels, planned the won- 
derful redemption; he is the foundation of God — for 
the love of the Father gave, as the Saviour of sinners, 
his only begotten Son; he is the foundation of God- — 
for by the appointment and authority of the Father, 
other foundation never has been laid, and never will 
be laid. Upon this foundation are you venturing, 
resting, building 4 ? Mere notions are nothing. 

A SOUND CREED IS NOT FAITH IN THE HEART. Many 

will say 'Christ must save us; this is our belief — 
though they know not who Christ is, nor how he 
saves, nor what is the nature of his salvation. Be 
not deceived — no, not one of you. Do not mistake 

OPINIONS FOR PRINCIPLES AND DISPOSITIONS. I MUST 
TELL YOU AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN, THAT TO 
BUILD FOR ETERNITY ON THE FOUNDATION OF GOD, 

is heart-work. It is the soul, which sees its danger, 
hastening to the Rock of Ages. It is the soul, which 
fears an eternal ruin, cleaving to the Son of God ; 
cleaving with a fixed determination and with a hearty 
choice; cleaving with a strength sent down from hea- 
ven ; and cleaving for a life of safety, for a death of 



clviii 



THE LIFE OF 



comfort, for an eternity of joy and glory. If these are 
the affections of your hearts towards the Saviour, you 
are certainly on the true foundation." 

There is no bare-bone theology here. The Valley 
of Vision is alive. The Spirit of the Lord has breathed 
into the dry and bloodless doctrines the essence of a 
new and an undying existence, and they are now 
mighty, through grace, to the pulling down of the 
strong-holds of sin, and to the building up of that 
spiritual temple in which man shall find everlasting 
comfort, and God everlasting glory. 

At the latter end of the year 1816 Mr. Housman 
was seized with violent palpitations of the heart, which 
continued about twenty hours, leaving him in a very 
weak and precarious state of health. A letter which 
he received at this juncture from his Diocesan threat- 
ened to reproduce the alarming symptoms. His lord- 
ship was "informed" (by whom need not be stated) 
"that four sermons had been preached in a month, in 
St. Anne's Chapel, by perfect strangers." He did not 
wish to be "illiberal towards others, or unfriendly 
towards Mr. Housman ; " but he must " discharge his 
duty" by telling his correspondent that he had been 
"neglectful of his." In conclusion, he cautioned him, 
or rather expressed a hope, that he should have no 
further occasion "to animadvert upon his conduct." 
These remarks had reference to a plan, lately establish- 
ed, of Wednesday evening Lectures, in which Mr. 
Gathorne, at that time resident curate of Heysham, Mr. 
W. C. Wilson, and the Rev. John Beethom, had 
occasionally taken part. In consequence, however, of 
the Bishop's communication, the Lectures were after- 
wards conducted exclusively by Mr. Housman and his 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clix 



curate, until the increasing indisposition of the former 
obliged him to suspend them altogether. Many years 
subsequently they were revived. 

Though the Bishop's objections and prohibitions 
seemed to apply almost entirely to a constant and or- 
ganized plan of admitting strangers, yet, as the letter 
contained the following sentence, s( l must repeat my 
request that the ministerial duties be regularly discharged 
by yourself, if in your power; if not, by a licensed 
curate," Mr. Housman, who had received from Mr. 
Wilson a seasonable promise of assistance on the follow- 
ing Sunday, felt himself constrained to address his 
Lordship on the matter. " I have found, through life," 
he says, in reference to this determination, "that 
whenever I have been enabled to deny my own incli- 
nation, and to act with a scrupulous regard to the dictates 
of conscience, the Lord's approbation, in some way or 
another, has been visibly manifested. And in this 
little instance we shall soon see that minds and events 
are overruled for good." The letter addressed to the 
Bishop was as follows. It indicates, plainly enough, 
the sort of petty annoyances to which Mr. Housman 
was subject. 

MY LORD, 

I am in possession of your Lordship's statement con- 
cerning any "organized plan of admitting strange 
preachers" into my pulpit; and to your Lordship's will 
it is my determination to yield implicit obedience. 

The Sunday duty has lately not only materially af- 
fected my head, but has caused my legs to swell in a 
very unpleasant way. My friend, Mr. Wilson of Tuns- 
tal, called upon me yesterday, and I solicited help from 
him in the afternoon and evening of next Sunday, 
when I intend to have a collection for the benefit 



clx 



THE LIFE OF 



of my Sunday School, which consists of 280 scholars.* 
Though I believe that the assistance which I have 
asked, does not bring the case even to the most distant 
verge of what your Lordship has prohibited, yet I 
should not feel comfortable if I did not faithfully detail 
the circumstance. If your Lordship should object to 
my receiving the services of my friend, thus accidentally 
and perhaps seasonably requested, I shall receive by 
Sunday's mail the communication of your objection, and 
the assistance will be declined. I would rather be 
accused of needless scrupulosity in mentioning this sub- 
ject to your Lordship, than hurt my mind by acting, 
even ignorantly, in opposition to my diocesan. 

If I hear nothing from your Lordship, my health 
will probably have that benefit from the assistance of 
my friend, which I believe your Lordship will wish 
that it may receive. I have the honour to be, with 
much respect, your Lordship's most obedient servant, 

Robert Housman. 

Subsequently he took counsel's opinion upon the 
50th and 52nd Canons, as to the legal privilege of 
occasionally admitting a friend into his pulpit. The 
opinion was favourable. 

Times are happily altered now. Unwieldy and obso- 
lete ecclesiastical regulations are becoming powerless to 
obstruct the free course and progress of the Gospel. 
Even Bishops, as a body, are beginning to feel, that 
the letter " which killeth" is subordinate to the spirit 
<e which giveth life;" and that a minister may deliver 
the message of salvation in a manner acceptable to the 
God of salvation, though he does now and then run 
foul of Articles and Canons. 



* At the period of Mr. Housnian's retirement from St. Anne's in 1836, the 
number had increased to above 500. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxi 



The very alarming illness under the effects of which 
Mr. Housman was suffering when assailed by the agi- 
tating epistle of his bishop, is thus alluded to at the 
close of a letter to Mr. Wilson. 

tf I must conclude by saying, that during my late 
severe attack, I discovered that nothing can support, 
in the near prospect of death, but a realizing perception 
of the all-sufficiency of the work of Jesus, and a con- 
sciousness of receiving him with the full consent of the 
will. This consciousness, if I mistake not, I was 
privileged to possess; and it brought along with it, 
peace. Oh, let us sound it aloud in the ears of sin- 
ners — "None but Christ — none -but Christ!"' 

It was not always thus. In a letter which will be 
found elsewhere, he informs his correspondent, who was 
passing through a trial of spiritual darkness, that 
he himself, on the occasion of a domestic bereavement 
of the severest kind (the death, I presume, of his first 
wife) was left, for weeks and months, in a soul-distress 
approaching to despair. The anguish thus adverted 
to was permitted to revisit him, though in a mitigated 
degree, at the commencement of the year 1804, on 
recovering from a very dangerous attack of typhus fever. 
His contemplation of the character of God in Christ 
was perplexed by unworthy misgivings ; a veil of dis- 
quieting apprehensions obscured the Mercy-Seat; and 
the blessedness which his ministry had so abundantly 
brought to others, was, for a season at least, denied to 
him. From this distressing but by no means unusual 
experience, however, through the efficacy of fervent 
and unremitted prayer, he was suddenly delivered on 
the Easter Sunday of the same year, and no less 
suddenly admitted to all the riches of the full assurance 
of the mystery which had so painfully disturbed and 
harassed his mind. The cloud which had overshadowed 

w 



clxii 



THE LIFE OF 



him arose unquestionably from physical causes, and 
was the natural consequence of severe bodily indisposition 
long protracted; the spiritual comfort which succeeded 
it, and which never forsook him for a single moment 
during the rest of his life, but attended him like 
perpetual sunshine, is attributable to no power less 
than his to whom the sublime appellation of f( Father 
of Lights " exclusively belongs. 

It appears, from certain letters before me, that 
a recurrence of the alarming symptoms which had 
threatened his health in 1816 and about three years 
previously, led Mr. Housman seriously to consider the 
expediency of giving up the Incumbency of St. Anne's, 
and retiring to some small and easy village cure. 
** While you, my friend," he says to a valued corres- 
pondent, "may possibly be removed from a comparatively 
contracted to a most enlarged sphere of exertion, the re- 
verse may be appointed to me. The preparation and the 
strength which St. Anne's requires, seem to be crush- 
ing me. The last six months have been most severely 
felt. If a village church, which would demand but 
little more than the usual daily stretch of thought, 
should be offered, apparently in the providence of God, 
as an exchange for my Chapel (the Gospel being 
faithfully preached to my dear people, being a sine qua 
non ), I think that I should see it a duty to accept the 
exchange." Upon this subject he unreservedly opened 
his mind to an affectionate and zealous friend, who was 
shortly afterwards enabled to offer him the Rectory of 
Newbiggin. His attachment to St. Anne's was stronger 
than he had supposed ; and when the idea of breaking 
the connexion which had subsisted between him and 
the people of that chapel for upwards of twenty years, 
assumed the distinctness of a probability, he rejected 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxiii 



it at once and for ever, and determined to continue in 
the vineyard of his own planting, as long as the Lord 
should see fit to qualify him for the work. The 
proposed change would have secured to him the advan- 
tages of ease and leisure, at a time when both were 
greatly needed, without materially contracting his 
pecuniary resources ; perhaps indeed, the difference 
between the expenses attending a town and a country 
residence considered, it would have proved advantageous 
in this respect also. But the offer was declined. 
Under the date of February 20, 1818, he thus addressed 
the friend who had conveyed it. "Many thanks for 
your kindness in mentioning to me the Rectory of 
Newbiggin. Several times have I even longed, if it 
were the Lord's will, for such a retirement; and pro- 
bably, before the year is over, if my life be spared, 
the situation would appear most desirable. But within 
the last fortnight I seem to be much recruited; and 
I therefore feel it a duty to cling a little longer to my 
dear and large congregation. Every Sabbath's exertion 
is giving a strong blow to my constitution ; but, having 
obtained help from God, I continue unto this day. I 
must therefore give up the kind offer of Newbiggin." 

"Happy the servant of God," says Pyt, in his sketch 
of the character of Felix Neff, "happy the servant of 
God, who is in his place; who feels it, and remains 
there, and has no desire to leave it." Such was the 
happiness of Mr. Housman. " He found his place, he 
kept it, he was faithful in it." 

Pecuniary embarrassments, in no wise discreditable to 
him, but arising out of circumstances in which he was 
forced to bear a part, obliged him in the year 1818 
to dispose of his property at Acrelands. This lamen- 



clxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



table reverse of fortune he sustained without a murmur ; 
and after residing for a few months at Sunderland, a 
distance of seven miles from Lancaster, he took up his 
abode at Greenfield, in the suburbs of the latter place, 
and continued to live there for upwards of eighteen 
years. In a note addressed to one of his congregation, 
and dated Oct. 10, 1818, he alludes to the removal in 
these words. "This is a changing world. The 
bounds of our habitation are shortly to be removed 
from Acrelands. I have sold the premises, and we are 
to have a tabernacle at Greenfield, in the house now 
occupied by Mr. Higby. Every movement is of im- 
portance. It may have a bearing, either immediately 
or remotely, on our eternal interests. Hence the ne- 
cessity of Prayer ; and the consequent comfort of the 
promise — f In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he 
shall direct thy paths.' " 

The generous credulity of Mr. Housman's disposition 
entirely unfitted him for commerce with the world. 
That the heart is deceitful above all things and des- 
perately wicked he was well aware; but the kindness 
and enlarged charity of his own heart invariably sprang 
up on behalf of those about him, and urged him to 
hope the best when the worst might well have been 
concluded. With reference to his Creator, no one 
knew man better than he did; with respect to his 
fellow-creatures, a child could dupe him. He knew 
less of men than of man ; and less of man in his moral 
relations to time, than in his spiritual relations to eter- 
nity. The fact is, he distrusted himself more than he 
suspected others. He was unsuspicious, in spite of 
experience and common sense. Truthful himself in an 
eminent degree, he was slow at seeing through a lie; 
and when he did see through it, which was oftener 
than many persons supposed, he was afraid of appearing 



THE REV. R. MOUSMAN. 



clxv 



to do so, lest after all, he might possibly be mistaken. 
He would rather be cheated by a rogue than incur the 
probability of doing a rogue injustice. Humbleness 
of spirit, so principal and attractive a characteristic of 
this simple-minded christian, accordingly exposed him 
to much suffering and to great pecuniary loss. The 
most upright and sincere of beings (for what Archdeacon 
Churton says of Dr. Townson was true of him — "You 
w6uld pledge your soul on his sincerity") he was 
constantly the victim of perfidious dissemblers. " A 
blunder," says he, in one of his letters, "similar to 
what I have committed a thousand times, renders another 
long journey expedient. I was satisfied with statements 
and expressions, instead of securities. I know, with 
some little exactness, what human nature is, and yet 
I am prone to believe whatever people tell me, and to 
mistake plausibilities for substantial truth. Whether 
1 shall be ever cured of my folly, is, at the best, 
problematical." The folly never left him: he trusted 
and was deceived to the last. 

I have slightly adverted in the preceding paragraph 
to his strict and inviolable regard to truth. This ex- 
cellence, though not of course peculiar to him, for all 
christians possess it necessarily, and many who are 
christians only in name possess it incidentally, was 
nevertheless exemplified by him in a peculiarly striking 
way. What Robert Hall said of Dr. Ryland is equally 
applicable to Mr. Housman. "He would never allow 
himself to employ those exaggerations and colours in 
the narration of facts, which many who would shudder 
at a deliberate falsehood freely indulge; some for the 
gratification of their passions, or the advancement of 
their interests, and others purely from the impulse of 
vanity* and a wish to render their narratives more • 
inviting, and their conversation more poignant. What- 



clxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



ever [Mr. Housman] affirmed was, as far as his 
knowledge extended, as certain as an identical proposition ; 
nor was he satisfied with the substantial truth of what 
he asserted ; he was so anxious that the impression 
he conveyed should exactly coincide, as well in its 
degree, as in kind, with his internal conviction, that, 
if it be possible, he was too tenacious of truth, and 
may be said to have carried his scrupulosity too far. 
I have often been amused at observing the compass he 
would fetch, and the circumlocutions he would have 
recourse to, in the narration of facts, rather than incur 
the possibility of misrepresentation or mistake." I could 
give, if it were necessary, some curious instances of his 
scrupulosity. I have known him to carry it so far as 
even to reject a figurative expression from a sermon, 
lest, by transferring to the fact with which it was 
allied a literally false association, it might damage the 
fact, and take power from truth. 

During his residence at Acrelands, Mr. Housman 
had been called upon to suffer afflictions of a peculiarly 
painful nature. The hand of the Lord was heavy 
upon him, but the Spirit of the Lord was strong within 
him. Darkness gathered about his dwelling ; but the 
light that shineth in darkness made his home beautiful 
in the midst of gloom. The Shekinah was never 
absent, never dim. 

Uncomplaining submission to the appointments of 
heaven was one of Mr. Housman's most eminent virtues. 
Perhaps few men have attained to a like degree of 
resignation. Baxters faithful aphorism, " As thou wilt, 
when thou wilt, and where thou wilt," exactly indicates 
the quality and extent of his devotedness to the Father 
of Spirits. "His soul" (to use the startling but sig- 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxvii 



nificant language of Archbishop Leighton) " rolled itself 
on God, and adventured there all its weight." He 
was afraid of nothing but sin ; for he knew that every- 
thing else, even though it be the keenest sorrow, is 
mercy and blessing. His acquiescence in the bitter 
dispensations of his Maker was immediate and was 
complete. It needed neither forcing nor nursing. It 
implied an entire and unconditional renunciation and 
rejection of self; an entire and unconditional subordi- 
nation, or rather, a perfectly prompt and unreserved 
surrender, of the whole individual being to the sentiment 
of creaturely and filial dependence. It was the disposition 
which Eli manifested; "It is the Lord — let him do 
what seemeth to him good." It was the disposition 
which David manifested ; " 1 was dumb, and opened 
not my mouth — because thou didst it." It was the 
disposition which the Great Exemplar manifested, when, 
in the extremity of anguish, and with an ignominious 
and torturing death before him, he exclaimed, " Not 
my will, but thine be done." Even to those who best 
knew the habits of his mind, and the intimate terms on 
which he lived with his Divine Master, it was the 
subject of constant astonishment and admiration; whilst 
by those who knew him not, or knew him but slightly, 
his meek and patient and absolutely cheerful deportment 
under the pressure of calamities the severest that can 
assail a parent's comfort, (for he seemed to love the 
rod that smote him) were imputed to the indifference 
of a cold and apathetic constitution. Never were 
Nature and Grace so insulted and so wronged. He 
possessed the kindest, the tenderest, the most sensitive 
of hearts. It was a heart of even feminine delicacy 
of temperament ; so marvellously susceptible of pleasure ; 
so wonderfully alive to the finest vibrations of pain; 
so averse from wounding the feelings of others; so 



clxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



vulnerable itself. But if it was this, it was also more 
and better than this. It was a heart, submitted and 
dedicated to the Lord God; it was a heart, controlled 
in its best as well as in its worst affections, by the 
master-principles of faith and love; it was a heart, 
transformed and strengthened, according to an exceeding 
great and precious promise, by the indwelling presence 
and power of the Holy Ghost. Mr. Housman felt like 
a man, but he endured like a Christian. The discipline 
was hard; the glory infinite. 

ee In him," says Mr. S tatter, " patience had, if in any 
one, its perfect work. He not only endured, as seeing him 
that is invisible, but he gloried in tribulation also. His 
faith, as his people can tell, always came from the furnace, 
like gold seven times purified. There he learnt for 
them his choicest lessons of heavenly wisdom. Hence 
he was so well able, as most of them remember, to 
comfort the mourners, to strengthen the weak, to con- 
firm the wavering, to guard the tempted, and to raise 
the fallen. If his afflictions abounded, his consolations 
by Christ abounded also, and he was therefore able to 
comfort them which were in any trouble, by the com- 
fort wherewith he was comforted of God." Blessed is 
the congregation whose minister has passed through 
the fires. In the wise but mysterious providences of 
God, how strangely the sufferings of one are frequently 
made to promote the happiness of many ! 

" There is," says he, in reference to the painful 
visitations of this period, "a near resemblance between 
the works of God in his creation, and his work of 
grace in the soul : that is, there is a like kind of de- 
sign and management in both. For instance. If the 
air around us, and the waters which are upon the 
surface of the earth, were always in a still, quiet, and 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxix 



unruffled state, they would become unfit for the purposes 
of health and life. That their purity may be preserved 
or restored, they must be agitated by occasional winds 
and storms. So it is in the spiritual world. The soul 
seems incapable of flourishing in a perpetual calm. 
Hence, at the Lord's word, the stormy wind ariseth; 
tribulations, of different kinds and degrees, are sent; 
bodily sickness, or the sickness or death of friends ; 
losses, disappointments, persecutions, revilings; these 
or other trials, are the tempests appointed by the Lord's 
wisdom and loving-kindness ; and they are commissioned 
to beat down worldliness in the heart, to dethrone self, 
to drive away carelessness, to give the believer no rest 
until he finds it in God his Saviour. Oh ! it is mercy 
— rich, covenant, eternal mercy — when the believer is 
constrained, by inward or outward trials, or both, to 
raise a patient eye and a subdued heart unto the Lord 
and say, 'Whom have I in heaven but Thee 4 ? — and 
there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison 
of Thee.' That we have bled, will be a subject of 
thankfulness and rejoicing in the world of light. We 
shall then acknowledge, whatever may be our feelings 
now, that we have not had a pang of the wrong kind, 
nor a pang too many, nor a pang too severe, nor a 
pang too long continued. What the Lord does we 
know not fully now, but we shall know hereafter. 
One thing I know now — he is doing all things well. 
He is consulting my comfort while he crosses me ; and 
while he is bringing a dark cloud over my earthly 
prospects, the cloud, like that which guided and pre- 
served Israel in the wilderness, may be a preservation 
from fatal enemies, and a guide to the Jerusalem which 
is above. What a time will that be, when the great 
Shepherd of the sheep, and his ransomed flock, who 
had been gathered by his mercy, and guarded by afflic~ 



clxx 



THE LIFE OF 



Hon, shall have met together! — he, rejoicing in his 
love; and they, rejoicing in his glory!" 

One of the peculiarly distressing dispensations above 
alluded to, gave rise to the following beautiful letter 
to a beloved member of his congregation. It is dated 
the 4th of November 1817. The omitted passage 
refers particularly to the cause of his anguish : — I shall 
be pardoned for withholding it. 

MY DEAR E 3 

As I know that even one line from your unworthy 
minister, but very faithful friend, will be well and 
gladly received, that one line shall be sent. 

You will have been informed, long before this, that 
it has pleased the Lord, in his righteous providence, 
to permit a very heavy affliction to come upon us. I 
have been in a hotter furnace, as to this world's 
comforts and prospects, than I ever was cast in before. 
But I humbly trust that the form of Him who walked 
with me, was like the Son of God. Want of sleep, 
and want of appetite, if they had been suffered to 
continue, would probably, in a very few weeks, have 
sent my feeble frame to the dust. But I have reason 
to sing of mercy, as well as of judgment. I have 
been more quickened, in my own soul, after divine 
consolations. The Lord has prevented even a single 
murmur from arising. I have experienced an acquies- 
cence in his equity and goodness. I have been enabled 
to pray, and to hope — yea, and in some degree to 
expect that the Lord would overrule * * * * * 
The Lord moves in a mysterious way. The sin and 
wandering of Onesimus were so controlled by infinite 
mercy, as to send him to hear the gospel, and to hear 
it savingly, from St. Paul. This affords no encourage- 
ment to any to venture upon sin; but it affords 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxxi 



encouragement to us to pray that the sin of others may 
be so overruled. ****** Your affectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 

The Xord has prevented even a single murmur from 
arising ! What a beautiful illustration of exceeding 
great and precious promises! "The Lord forsaketh 
not his saints; he preserveth them for ever." "They 
are graven upon the palms of his hands, and are con- 
tinually before him." "He healeth the broken in 
heart, and bindeth up their wounds. 1 ' "None that 
trust in him shall be desolate." , "Thou wilt keep 
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee." 
"I will not leave you comfortless; / will come to you"' 
The blessedness of these, most blessed declarations Mr. 
Housman now abundantly experienced. He was not 
left comfortless; the Lord did come to him. Appetite 
might fail ; but the Lord nourished him with the bread 
of life and the water of life. Sleep might depart; 
but in the night-watches the left hand of the Lord was 
under his head, and his right hand embraced him. 
"Oh that I could tell you," he says, "the ten thou- 
sandth part of the exceeding peace and gladness of my 
soul, as I lay awake in the stillness and darkness of 
the past night. Of a truth the Lord was with me. 
I think I never before had such a lively sense of the 
greatness, and purity, and loveliness, and glory, of God 
in Christ. My heart was enlarged in a very uncom- 
mon degree, and, if I mistake not, in a very uncommon 
way. Jesus was felt to be f Immanuel ' with peculiar 
power. Let us, my dear friend, be "praying alway' 
for a fuller knowledge, a more confiding belief, a more 
perfect love of the great God, and for a closer nearness 
to his presence." A few weeks later, he refers to 
similar manifestations in the following emphatic passage. 



clxxii 



THE LIFE OF 



''Within the last three or four days I have had such 
views of the excellence and glory of Jesus! I have 
seemed to see more into it than ever. There is no 
true happiness in this world, but in the nearness of 
the soul to Christ ; there is no happiness in the eternal 
state, but in seeing the Lord as he is, and in being 
like him for ever. The beatific vision is Christ. 
We shall see him as he is ! — in the perfection and glory 
of his character. We shall be like him! — in the 
perfection and glory of our own." 

Who, after reading these remarkable extracts, will not 
take up the language of the holy Leighton, and ex- 
claim, f< All outward distress to a mind thus at peace, is 
but as the rattling of the hail upon the tiles, to him that 
sits within the house at a sumptuous feast." Truly, to 
use the words of a greater one than Leighton, such 
peace "passeth all understanding." Philosophy may 
support, but it is only the religion of Jesus that can 
console and comfort. 

His trust in the constant direction of an all-wise 
and almighty Providence, of which the foregoing pages 
furnish many examples, was characterized by none of 
the rash reasoning, the indefensible presumption, or the 
absurd practical excesses, which have distinguished and 
rendered both ridiculous and mischievous the faith of 
many excellent disciples of Jesus. It was rational 
as well as pious. The industrious use of means, on the 
one hand, and, on the other, patient waiting upon God 
alone for the final issue, he held to be equal duties, 
imposed no less distinctly by the word of Revelation 
than by the dictates of prudence; and seeing a moral 
obligation, he shrunk from the possibility of weaken- 
ing its pressure by entertaining futile speculations on 
the compatibility of fixed general laws (which are, in 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxxiii 



fact, nothing but the continuous expressions of the 
divine mind) with particular and insulated instances of 
direct divine agency. He acted as if philosophical difficul- 
ties had no existence ; and to him indeed they had none. 
He exercised as much care, diligence, and activity, as 
if there were no such thing as Providence to depend 
upon; and yet, having done this, he depended upon 
Providence as entirely and unwaveringly as if he had 
made no preparations at all. "And this," says Dr. 
South, "is a rule of practice which will never fail, or 
shame any who shall venture all they have or are 
upon it: for as a man, by exerting his utmost force 
in any action or business, has all that a human 
strength can do for him therein, so, in the next place, 
by quitting his confidence in the same, and placing it 
only in God, he is sure also of all that Omnipotence 
can do in his behalf." 

The following passage from a letter addressed by 
Mr. Housman in the year 1804 to his friend the Rev. 
Abraham Hepworth, L.L.B., (Minister of St. Luke's, 
Manchester) bears directly upon this subject. "I have 
no doubt," he writes, "that if you should be forced 
out of your present situation, another will be provided ; 
— but though resignation to the divine will, patience 
under his trying dispensations, and dependence upon 
his providence and grace, should be constantly exercised, 
yet I apprehend that a prudent attention to means 
should not be disregarded. The difficulty consists in 
properly balancing exertion and faith. Oppressive 
anxiety is certainly forbidden by f Take no thought 
for the morrow' — 'If God so clothe the grass of the 
field, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of 
little faith."— "Verily thou shalt be fed." ' Seek first 
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all 
other things shall be added unto you."' 



clxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



Twelve years later, namely in 1816, the same sub- 
ject is thus treated in a letter to the Rev. W. C. Wil- 
son. (f l should be surprised if you did not feel some 

difficulty in your determinations concerning . 

The command is gracious, ( In all thy ways acknow- 
ledge him ; ' and the promise is full of grace — * And 
He shall direct thy paths.' But when we have ac- 
knowledged Grod as the wise and sovereign disposer of 
all persons and events; and prayed most sincerely that 
our wills may be given up to his, and that the whole 
may issue in the enlargement of his Church and the 
glory of his name; the question arises — In what way, 
or ways, may we expect that he will direct our paths % 
We cannot hope for the visible Pillar and Cloud to go 
before us. We must not, in common cases, look for 
such a vision as appeared unto Paul; or to hear a 
voice, saying 'Come over, and help us.' After we 
have laid our case and our wills at the footstool of 
the Throne, and earnestly implored, not merely that 
our inclinations may be divinely influenced, but that 
our judgments may be enlightened and guided to a 
sound and right decision, we may proceed, I presume, 
though with caution, yet with humble confidence, to 
our determination." 

Mr. Housman had an equal horror of forcing and of 
making providences. "Tarry thou the Lord's leisure," 
seems to forbid the one ; " My thoughts are not your 
thoughts," to reprove the other. A too daring faith is 
perhaps as bad as a spirit of unbelief. 

The value of letters, in a biographical connexion, is 
exactly in proportion to the insight which they give 
us into the character and views of the writer. They 
should supply us with such advantages as an intimate 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxxv 



personal acquaintance would have furnished; for the 
absence of these, no merits of thought or style, how- 
ever attractive, can compensate. Mr. Housman's letters, 
if I do not greatly mistake, accomplish this apparently 
easy but in reality most difficult and rare object. Pro- 
duced generally by domestic incidents, and usually by 
incidents not calculated to excite any degree of interest 
beyond the particular circles in which his correspon- 
dents respectively moved, they are essentially individual ; 
and being written without the slightest prospect of 
publicity, they are free from the formality and cautious 
reserve by which all compositions designed for extensive 
perusal, cannot fail to be more or less distinguished. 
They reveal the man, as his pulpit preparations never 
could reveal him. They shew us what he was at home. 
They open to us the very inmost chambers of his heart ; 
and, in doing this, whilst they discover the large 
and precious amount of human sympathy that lay 
treasured there, they abundantly attest the subordination 
of all his feelings, affections, and principles, to the 
quickening spirit of religious Love. They justify, by 
a chain of evidence the most beautiful, the remark of 
one who knew him well and loved him dearly his 
religion," says Mr. Statter, ff was not an act, but a 
habit; not an effort, but a nature." Holiness to 
the Lord is inscribed upon all he wrote. The 
smallest scrap bears this, if it bears nothing more. 

Surely it is no light matter to be let into the secrets 
of the inward life of such a christian as Mr. Housman; 
to be admitted to the "sweetnesses and privileges" of 
those holy recesses in which the glory of the grace of 
God delighted to abide. Great is the blessing, and 
proportionately great the responsibility. God grant 
that the outpourings of the heart and mind of one so 
near and dear to me, may prove to others what I 



clxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



know they have proved to those for whose use they 
were originally intended,, the means of sustaining and 
deepening the principles of spiritual prosperity and 
health. They are the manifestations of a soul which 
lived with God in the enjoyment of the closest commu- 
nion, and for him in the exercise of completest dedication ; 
and I have good hope that a virtue will go out of 
them, to strengthen the weak, to encourage and warn 
the strong, to cheer the sorrowful, to bind up the 
broken-hearted, and to bring glory and honour and 
praise to Him who is "all and in all." 

The four letters immediately subjoined, written from 
Acrelands, were addressed to one of his most attached 
friends, then on a visit in Manchester. For this lady, 
with whom he became acquainted under circumstances 
of peculiar interest, he entertained the warmest and 
most brotherly affection. "I know none," he once 
declared, "upon whom the Holy Spirit seems to have 
been more richly poured;" and during his last illness 
he repeatedly spoke of her in exalted terms. The 
opinion which he had formed of her when he wrote 
these letters, he held to the last. "She is a sterling 
character," were the words that invariably followed 
the mention of her name. 

November 15, 1817. 

MY DEAR FRIEND, 

I was rejoiced exceedingly to hear from Mary B. 
that your mind was in a state of peace and comfort. 
What is health, or wealth — what is anything, or every- 
thing, beneath the sun — when compared with an experience 
of the salvation of God % That salvation he has taught 
you to thirst after and to relish, and he will not desert 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. clxxvii 

the work of his own hands. In a state of comparative 
ease as to outward things, the soul, even where grace 
reigns, is too apt to cleave unto the dust. The world, 
in some shape or another, assumes an undue importance, 
and the Lord is defrauded of what he justly demands, 
the whole heart. Then mercy interposes. Some painful 
dispensation is sent. The Lord is in the whirlwind. 
The slumbering christian is aroused. He exercises his 
principles ; he calls upon his Lord with renewed vigour ; 
he is heard and answered ; and he has to sing of mercy 
and judgment; — of judgment, because he has passed 
under the rod ; and of mercy, because the rod has been 
sanctified. Such, my friend, will be the issue of your 
present trial. The trial is painful and heavy ; but if 
it be the appointed means of working for you a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, there is 
not a prosperous worldling on the earth but might covet 
earnestly to exchange situations with you. To be 
stretched on a couch of anguish, cheered with the 
occasional presence of the Redeemer, and to have the 
earnests of everlasting repose in the bosom of God, is 
to be placed under circumstances, safe to the soul, 
favourable to fellowship with the Father and with his 
Son Jesus Christ, well adapted to keep the world out 
of the heart, and heaven in the eye. I have no 
doubt but if all the friends who love you had possessed 
wisdom and kindness towards you, tenfold more than 
they do possess, they would have wished you to be 
just in such a furnace as the one in which you are 
suffering. The form of him who walketh with you is 
like the Son of God. You will lose nothing but dross. 
You will come forth like gold. In order to obtain 
these blessings, pray that faith may be in constant and 
strong exercise : faith in declarations that God is Love, 
and that he delighteth in mercy ; faith in the promise 

y 



clxxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



"I will give to him that is athirst;" faith in the 
assurances of the scriptures that Jesus is able to save 
unto the uttermost and that he will save all that come 
unto him. (John vi. 37. Matt. xi. 28. Rom. x. 13.) 

My subject for to-morrow is Phil. iii. 8 ; former 
part. My divisions are two: 1. The knowledge of 
Christ. 2. The excellency of this knowledge, 

Our prospects under the late trial are brighter than 
they were. ******* But my first wishes 
for my children have long travelled far beyond the 
limits of this world. If they obtain salvation, through 
the knowledge of the great Redeemer, it is not of 
much consequence how they fare in the way to the 
kingdom. 

It is Saturday, and I must conclude. My poor 
prayers are offered up, that the Lord may be unto you 
an everlasting light, and your God your glory. * * * 

I remain your very affectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 

Saturday Afternoon, December 6, 1817. 

MY DEAR FRIEND, 

If I could divide myself into two parts, and separate 
the Old Man from the New Man, I believe that I 
should speak to you in two very differ ent strains. The 
Old Man would say, "May she, whose friendship has 
been tried through years, and proved to be genuine, 
disinterested, and abiding, be speedily restored to health, 
and pass through a long life without a pain and with- 
out a sigh." The New Man would say, "The Lord 
is righteous in all his ways, and his dispensations are 
merciful towards all who have sought him. He has 
put her into the furnace. He has placed her there for 
purposes worthy of his infinite and unchanging love. 
The form of him that walketh with her is like the 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxxix 



Son of God. He will manage, with boundless wisdom, 
the whole process of her suffering. She will lose 
nothing, but the dross of sin and of worldly affections. 
She will come forth like gold. She will shine to her 
Redeemer's honour — perhaps in the Church below, 
but certainly in the Church triumphant in glory." 

Such, my dear friend, would be the different language 
which nature and grace would speak; and let grace 
prevail, and nature be silent. To miss a countenance, 
which, day by day, and year by year, has been turned 
towards one with looks of benignity and kindness, is 
a real trial. But I do not repine. The Lord is 
doing all things well. 

Mary B. read me some extracts from your last letter 
to her. They rejoiced us both. You seem, through 
great grace, to have those views and that experience 
which is all that can be wished for in this world. 
To see hell, the deepest hell, deserved by sin — and 
yet to see heaven and all its glories, purchased by our 
Immanuel, and promised to all who have a heart to 
desire them, and to apply unto him for them ; and to 
know that we desire them, and have come, and are 
coming, to him for them — this forms a combination of 
experience, of comfort, of assurance, which almost must 
annihilate pain, and render the sympathy of friends a 
needless offering. Go forward, my dear child, thirsting, 
praying, receiving; losing your will in the will of 
Jesus; resigning it to him, whether he will send you 
back again among his people, to tell them how precious 
is the Saviour in the valley of suffering, or whether 
he will take you where the inhabitant shall no more 
say "I am sick," but where his compassionate hand 
will for ever have wiped away all tears from your 
eyes. If the wish of my heart could be granted, it 
would be this ; that I, my family, and my congregation, 



clxxx 



THE LIFE OF 



were, at this moment in the same circumstances, as to 
pain and consolation, as yourself. 

You are remembered with great kindness by our 
congregation. They tenderly inquire after you. The 
Chapel continues full ; the Prayer-meetings are crowded. 
Help us with your prayers. 

I am, my dear friend, yours, very affectionately, 

Robert Housman. 

A -conviction of the awful responsibility of his engage- 
ments, combined with a never-failing sense of his own 
weakness and insufficiency, led him to attach immense 
importance to the intercessory prayers of his congrega- 
tion for the successful administration of the Gospel. 
These, both collective and individual, he was perpe- 
tually craving. "Help us with your prayers" formed 
one of his frequent requests. " Pray for us," he writes 
in 1818, "pray for me — that I may tell the people, 
from very deep and very joyful experience, that Jesus 
is a Saviour, and a great one." "Pray for me, my 
dear friend," he says to another, "that my views may 
be simple ; and that the love of Christ, and the love of 
souls, may be the grand commanding affections of my 
heart." And so they were, but he wanted them deepen- 
ing and confirming; and just in proportion as he 
attained his wish, did the want grow in urgency, and 
press upon him more directly. "Give me the benefit 
of your prayers," he says in a sermon of 1822; "Pray 
that the grace of faithfulness may be mine, and the 
grace of humility and self-distrust. Pray that the 
strength of Christ may be perfected in my weakness." 
"The Lord has been with us" (it is thus he spoke 
from his pulpit in 1824) "in much mercy and power; 
and numbers who worshipped here, are now adoring 
before the throne. May we all follow them, with 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxxxi 



hearts determined for heaven, with our loins girded, 
with our lamps burning. My dear friends — I ask your 
continued prayers. I need them greatly ; I value them 
highly; I would bless God for giving me an interest 
in them; and in return, I would say, with Samuel, 
'God forbid that I should sin against the Lord, in 
ceasing to pray for you' " Thus earnestly was he 
wont to seek and to acknowledge the fervent supplications 
of those among whom he laboured; — how greatly the 
sense of his necessity affected him, the conclusion of a 
discourse of 1830 touchingly attests. " Amidst the 
multiplied uncertainties of this changing world," he 
says, "it is highly probable that the place which 
knoweth us in this house of prayer, may very soon 
know some of us no more. But we must meet again; 
when our opportunities, and privileges, and different 
talents, must all be accounted for. In the prospect of 
that final account, I am sure that if there be one present 
who has more reason than another to smite upon his 
breast and say, f God be merciful to me a sinner,' that 
person is he who now addresses you. So much langour 
when all ought to have been vigour ; so much coldness, 
when all ought to have been fire; in saying to the 
careless, 'Flee from the wrath to come;' in telling 
the lovers of the present world, 'The love of the 
Father is not in you ;' in proclaiming to the mourners 
for sin, 'A Saviour-God invites you to his atonement 
and his heart ;' in publishing to all who seek faithfully 
the joyful tidings from the Lord of all, ' Ye shall find' 
— "ye shall find mercy and the new heart, and the 
peace of God which passeth all understanding, and 
God himself as your portion for ever.' Oh! the stupi- 
dity of the heart — oh ! the stupidity of my heart — in 
feeling a moment's coldness on such subjects as these! 
But, my dear brethren, there is one hope and consola- 



clxxxii 



THE LIFE OF 



tion both for you and me. 'There is a propitiation 
with God:' and if we all flee to that propitiation, and 
cling to that propitiation, and feel the influence of that 
propitiation upon our consciences, and our souls, and 
our lives, we shall be a saved, a joyful, a glorified 
congregation ! Oh ! what a meeting ! — when pastor 
and congregation meet together, saved by Immanuei's 
blood, and glorified by Immanuei's spirit!" 

Januaiy 19, 1818. 

MY DEAR FRIEND, 

Mrs. W. thought herself at liberty to shew me your 
letter to her. We rejoiced together at the continued 
and perhaps increasing manifestations of the Lord's 
love to your soul. You have long heard of Jesus by 
"the hearing of the ear," and you had that movement 
of the heart towards him, in which the essence of saving 
faith consists, and which brought you within the 
covenant of grace. You touched the hem of his garment, 
and you were made whole. But now your "eye seeth 
him." He has revealed himself to you as he doth not 
unto multitudes of his people. They are dwelling and 
thirsting in his outer courts : but you are led into his 
banqueting house, and his banner over you is Love. 
By the grace of God you are what you are. I am led 
to inquire — What will be the end of these dispensations 
of marvellous mercy % If we were not given to under- 
stand that your complaint is considered as abating, I 
should have concluded that the Lord, in giving you this 
high polish, was about to make you speedily " a Pillar" 
in his Temple above. But his thoughts may not be 
as my thoughts. He may intend to speak, by his 
mercies to you, to those around you, whose soul's sal- 
vation will be near your heart. He may likewise intend 
to send you back hither, to bear your testimony amongst 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxxxiii 



us, to the vastness of his grace, to the efficacy of his 
blood, to the constraining power of his love in winning 
the heart to himself. But whatever he his intention, 
it is formed in wisdom, righteousness, and loving- 
kindness. I long to hear you explain, so far as you 
can explain, the realizing views with which you have 
been favoured, and which of them were the most 
powerful in annihilating all earthly considerations, and 
in filling you with joy and peace. 

Pray for us. Pray for me — that I may tell the 
people, from very deep and very joyful experience, that 
Jesus is a Saviour, and a great one. 

Give my kind love to Mr. Roby when you see him. 
If I might venture, without presumption, to associate 
in any way my name with his, I should think that 
there is a very close similarity in all our impressions 
and views of divine things. 

Excuse the shabbiness of this paper; it is all that I 
could muster; but it allows me to say that I ever 
remain your very faithful and affectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 

He was in the habit of sending packages of his 
manuscript sermons, when preached, to his absent 
friends. The following letter alludes to the practice. 

Tuesday Evening. 

MY DEAR FRIEND, 

I intended to have written a letter; and time and 
some intervening engagements, will reduce my letter to a 
short note. Though short, it comes from one who is 
sincere, and who can rejoice when you rejoice. Your 
continued supports and consolations give us delight. To 
see a Christian, under common circumstances, is to see 
a great sight. It is to see one whom " God made man" 



clxxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



remembered on the cross, and for whom he poured out 
his sacred blood. But to see a Christian " joyful in 
tribulation," and glorifying God in the fire, is to see 
one not only cleansed by divine blood, but sealed, 
visibly sealed, by the Eternal Spirit. Such a rare 
honour, my friend, is conferred upon you. I shall be 
glad to learn, through some of our friends here, how 
you are still carried on, both in body and soul. 

I send you some sermons. These are sent, because 
they are the last preached. 

The Lord shewed mercy to Mrs. Gathorne yesterday 
forenoon. She has another little girl. Mrs. Housman is 
of course at Heysham. * * * * 

I am yours, very affectionately, 

Robert Housman. 

His friendly remembrance of Mr. Roby, for 
five and thirty years the faithful pastor of an Indepen- 
dent church and congregation in Manchester, suc- 
cessfully refutes a calumnious assertion to which currency 
was given about the period of his death, that Mr. 
Housman's orthodoxy was characterized, and his chris- 
tian philanthropy dishonoured, by an intolerant bearing 
towards the persons of those who differed from him 
in religious profession. That he did not often co-operate 
with dissenters is very true; but it is far from being 
equally true that a principle of uncharitableness min- 
gled with his motives. At all times averse from 
appearing in public (an indisposition which his warmest 
admirers cannot deny that he occasionally indulged 
unduly), when he did appear he naturally preferred 
being associated with those who belonged to the 
church of which he was a minister. This is merely 
saying of him what may be said of all. We like to 
be surrounded by men of congenial tastes and sentiments, 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxxxv 



and are liable to think perhaps too well of such as 
think in unison with us. That Mr. Housman, though 
firmly attached, extravagantly it may be, to the Church 
of England, (for his reverence was only just "on this 
side idolatry,") did not permit his regard to preclude 
the developement of affectionate feelings towards se- 
ceders from the Establishment, will be sufficiently ob- 
vious when I state, that some of his oldest and dearest 
friends were of that number ; that his study was re- 
sorted to, for purposes of spiritual conversation or counsel, 
by Independents, Wesleyan Methodists, Quakers, Bap- 
tists, and Banters — such was the general confidence in 
the catholic temper of his mind ; and that for many 
years previous to the time when he may be said to 
have retired from the more active exercise of the min- 
isterial office, his house was ever open to the pious of 
all denominations, when on their journeys in connexion 
with religious institutions. As an ardent supporter of 
the Tract Society, and as Senior Secretary of the Lan- 
caster Auxiliary Bible Society, he was necessarily 
brought into frequent communion with the most zealous 
of various persuasions; they, if appealed to, will bear 
ready testimony to the uniform urbanity of his address, 
and to the christian sympathy by which his whole 
conduct upon these interesting occasions was distinguished. 
Let it be remembered, too, that Mr. Housman, in the 
true spirit of the faith of Jesus, founded and fostered 
The Benevolent Society — a society which dispensed, 
and still dispenses, without the slightest reference to 
religious distinctions, pecuniary aid to such as need it. 

Enough has been said in the earlier pages of this 
Memoir to shew that Mr. Housman's attachment to 
the Established Church was an attachment based upon 
sincere conviction ; the following passages from one of 
his published sermons, whilst they confirm this con- 

z 



clxxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



elusion, exhibit also, on the best authority, the nature 
and extent of his regard. Fervent as it was, it con- 
sisted with a cordial affection for all, however designa- 
ted, who belonged to the household of faith. Dearly 
as he valued the Established Church, and he valued 
it intensely, he had read his Bible too often and too 
attentively not to know, that in Christ Jesus neither 
circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but 
a new creature; and that they who walk according to 
the apostolic rule, whatever names, whether of obloquy 
or honour, they bear, are undoubtedly of the Israel of 
God. The mark of true discipleship is not external 
but spiritual. Christ's sovereignty is over hearts. The 
" kingdom " cometh not with observation, but is within. 

" She" (The English Church) " is, if I do not greatly 
mistake, not only the eldest, but the most excellent 
daughter of the Keformation; the rich boon of God 
Almighty's mercy to the kingdom ; the depository of 
his eternal truth ; the guardian of his worship and 
glory; and, at the present time, the object of his pe- 
culiar care and love. * * Whilst I gladly embrace 
this fair opportunity of assigning the reasons of my 
warm attachment to the Church; an attachment, not 
the blind offspring of prejudice or habit, but the result 
of serious and very close reflection; an attachment, 
which has not only strengthened with my strength, but 
which is gathering fresh strength even in my weakness ; 
I would remember that it is the will of God that 
Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex 
Ephraim. It ill becomes a sinner who lives and 
breathes daily and hourly through much divine for- 
bearance; it less becomes a believer, who has hope 
towards God, through a redemption founded and finished 
in pure and marvellous mercy ; it still less becomes a 
minister of the Prince of Peace — to assail those who 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



elxxxvii 



profess to fear God, with one word of reproach, or to 
indulge towards them one feeling of unkindness, or one 
thought of uncharitableness. Grace be with all them 
who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, though 
they move not within our circle, nor bow the knee in 
our house of prayer. * * * The hour of death, 
and the day of judgment, are fast advancing. If we 
take nothing with us into the dark valley, but the 
name of 'Churchman,' we shall meet nothing better 
than the sting of death. Unsupported by our formality, 
and laden with our sins, we shall fall into the hands 
of the living God. If we carry into the presence of 
our Judge nothing but a pure creed floating in the 
understanding, our sentence is recorded — f Depart from 
me ; I never knew you.' Let us then supplicate our 
God without ceasing, that the doctrines which we pro- 
fess to receive, may be principles of. operation : divorcing 
us from sin, subduing our worldliness, renewing our 
souls, preparing us to meet our God; and that the 
worship in which we join, may be forming us to the 
taste and temper of the ' great multitude ' who stand 
'before the throne, and before the Lamb.'" 

Consistently with these sentiments, Mr. Housman 
regarded sectarian bitterness, whenever it appeared, 
whether in churchmen or dissenters, with feelings of 
the keenest regret. " Where is the mind which was in 
Christ 4 ?" he would sorrowfully ask, when instances of 
theological invective came before him. "If Michael 
durst not bring a railing accusation against Satan," 
(these words he used only a few months before his 
death) "how dare we against our brethren P We have 
enough to do to make men love one another." And 
in an unpublished manuscript the neglected cause of 
christian brotherhood is thus beautifully pleaded. 

"Wherever Christ is truly loved, there will be a love 



clxxxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



to his people; to all those who, in the judgment of 
charity, are christians in spirit and in truth. Real 
believers are children of one and the same heavenly 
Father — born of the same Holy Spirit — redeemed by 
the same precious blood — struggling against the same 
enemies and snares — and travelling, with the same 
encouragements and hopes, to the same country of 
everlasting rest. Thus united in sentiment, plan, and 
pursuit, they ought to be united in affection. And 
their Saviour has made this union in affection the 
badge of their sincerity, the mark of their belonging 
to him. f By this,' says he, 'shall all men know 
that ye are my disciples — if ye have love one to another? 
It has been the work and the artifice of the Devil, in 
every age, to disturb, if not entirely to destroy, this 
harmony and love. St. Paul tells some professors at 
Galatia, that they were ready ' to bite and to devour one 
another;' and he complains, in his second epistle to 
Timothy, of the evil treatment which he himself had re- 
ceived where he might certainly have expected both sup- 
port and kindness. Thus it ever has been, and thus it 
will be, until that blessed period arrives, when Satan shall 
be bound by the everlasting arm of the Son of God. 
A disposition to judge with rashness, to condemn with- 
out proof, and to revile without mercy, will, in many a 
melancholy instance, mark those who call themselves 
the disciples of the meek and merciful Jesus. And 
many a believer, who is in the habit of bearing his 
fellow-christians upon his heart at a Throne of Grace, 
may have frequent occasion to renew this complaint — 
f T was wounded in the house of my friends.' What 
we should inquire is this — do we love, and love sin- 
cerely, the people of Christ'? Have we that love 
which hopeth all things; which subdues all bitterness 
and inclination to reproach ; which leads us to pray 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxxxix 



with affection for every individual of the Church of 
God % Let us judge ourselves, that we be not judged 
of the Lord." 

Such was the habitual spirit of this favoured 
servant of the Prince of Peace. The exclusive 
tendencies of the high churchman were controlled and 
superseded by the benevolent catholicity of the high 
christian. "His heart was of no sect." He remem- 
bered, in practice as well as in theory, that the English 
Church, profoundly as he venerated both her discipline 
and doctrines, is but a section of the Church Universal : 
and he knew that in the Church Triumphant, of which 
all who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity will assuredly 
form a part, sectional distinctions have no existence. 
The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple, 
and the nations of them which are saved shall walk in 
the light of it. What a lesson to sectarian bigotry! 

But Mr. Housman's philanthropy did not stop here. 
The sympathies of his nature, enlarged and directed 
by the benign influences of christian charity, compre- 
hended (as sympathies, thus ruled, invariably will) the 
whole family of man. The extracts which follow — 
both of them from unpublished manuscripts — not only 
abundantly corroborate this statement, but bear ample 
testimony, particularly the latter, to his zeal for the 
manifestation of practical godliness. 

ff The most beautiful garment which the christian 
traveller, as he takes the journey of life, can wear, and 
without which he will never be permitted to enter the 
society of the spirits of the just made perfect, is Love. 
'Above all things,' says the Apostle, "put on Love.' 
Every one who deserves the name of Christian, is 
saved by infinite love ; by the love of the everlasting 
Father, who sent his Son into the world; by the love 



cxc 



THE LIFE OF 



of Immanuel, who ransomed their lives from destruction, 
by giving his own to be the ransom ; by the love of the 
Spirit, who raises the dead in sin, enlightens the 
darkened mind, subdues the rebellious will, and brings 
nigh unto God, through the blood of Christ, those who 
were wandering among the tombs, tormenting and 
cutting themselves with the instruments of destruction. 
Brethren — have you a hope in this strange love — in 
this vast miracle of mercy 4 ? Hear your Redeemer's 
voice. He addresses you from his Cross — ' It is 
finished ;' and from his Throne — f Above all things 
put on love.' If you put on love, your actions will be 
disinterested; 'let no man go beyond or defraud his 
brother in any matter.' If you put on love, you will 
do good unto all men, according to your ability and 
opportunities, ( especially (not exclusively) unto those 
who are of the household of faith.' If you put on 
love, you will put off all malice, and envy, and evil 
speaking. To speak unkindly of others, our fallen 
natures are wretchedly and continually prone; and I 
am sure that / can look back with shame upon many 
an instance of this guilty proneness. But let us watch, 
and strive, and pray, against the abomination. Oh ! let 
us prize and honour the comfort and good name of 
others, as we honour and prize our own. Let us 
break no more the law of love; let us no more cast 
aside the garment of love ; let us no more provoke the 
God of Love. If he whom we abuse or harshly judge, 
has received repentance and mercy, he is a child of 
God, and is too sacred an object for the strife of 
tongues : and if he be going on still in his wickedness, 
there is misery enough before him — we need not torment 
him before the time. Oh! may the Spirit of Love 
rest upon us all. May the sacred badge of the Saviour's 
redeemed family, be our badge — ' By this shall all 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cxci 



men know that ye are my disciples — if ye have love 
one to another.' And whenever we are summoned 
into eternity, oh may the summons find us in the 
exercise of that sacred affection of love, which will 
exist, and sing, and triumph, when faith will be lost 
in sight, and hope be swallowed up in full and 
everlasting enjoyment." 

Notwithstanding the self-condemnatory part of this 
extract, Mr. Housman was wonderfully free from the 
sin of detraction. Of vice he always spoke in terms 
of detestation, sometimes vehemently ; of the vicious, 
more in sorrow than in anger. There are instances, 
however, in which vice and the vicious are so completely 
identified, that to censure the one is to censure the 
other also ; and Mr. Housman was not a man to 
withhold or compromise the truth, from a dread of being 
deemed uncharitable. Charitableness, in fact, is the 
hoping all things good in doubtful cases — and this he 
did; uncharitableness, the thinking all things evil in 
similar circumstances, and this he did not, or did but 
rarely. It was his weakness to lean rather too much 
perhaps to the former. His hopefulness was often 
credulousness ; and so passed out of the list of the 
virtues. 

The second extract is as follows; — 

"'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself is the 
substance of the second table of the Law; and the 
Gospel enforces it with repeated energy. But what 
kind of love, it may be asked, can we feel and cherish 
towards those who have reviled us and injured us ; 
who are unfeeling, and selfish, and cruel ; who are 
sensual, or deceivers, or malicious ; who seem altogether 
worthless, and distinguished by the most forbidding 
depravity % I answer : just such a love as Grod himself 
felt, when he looked upon our fallen world, and sent 



CXC11 



THE LIFE OF 



his Son to seek and to save us. That love was not 
and could not be a love of complacency ; for all in man, 
as rebellious, was disgusting and horrible. But it was 
a love of compassion and good-will. It was mercy, free 
and full, rejoicing against judgment; making a way, 
through the blood of the Cross, for the return of the 
vilest ; and aiming to win the hearts of the most re- 
volted, by shewing, through the wonders of Calvary, 
that God is Love. Christian believers! — though it is 
yours to feel and to shew a peculiar affection for those 
who love Christ, and bear in some degree his image, 
and are journeying to his kingdom, yet a vast debt 
of the love of kindness is due from you to your fellow- 
sinners in general, whether they be or they be not 
of the household of faith. There are three duties 
towards them, in which, through the grace of Christ, 
you should ever seek to be found. 

"First; you must abstain from injuring their good 
name. When you forge a slander, or when you circu- 
late a slander, the iniquity is much the same. A 
wound is inflicted on a neighbour's character and comfort. 
The golden rule is broken — e Whatsoever ye would that 
men should do to you, do ye even so to them.' A 
disposition is indulged, as opposite to the mind of 
Christ as Christ is opposite to Belial. The authority 
of God is set at naught — for that authority has said, 
f speak evil of no man : ' and the Scriptures proclaim 
terrible things to the slanderer. It is written, f Nor 
revilers shall inherit the kingdom of God.' Brethren, 
whenever a word to the disadvantage of another is 
ready to fall from our lips, let us instantly remember 
three very awful truths — that christian love is at that 
time far from us; that we are on the very brink of 
rebelling against the will of God, clearly and positively 
made known; and that we may be fearfully interested 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxciii 



in such a solemn scripture as this, ' Whoso privily 
slandereth his neighbour, him will I destroy.' It was 
beautifully said by a great man concerning a deceased 
minister, 'He loved mankind too well to speak evil of 
them.' 

"But in enforcing the duty of christian love, I 
specify a second duty. Do good unto all men, even as 
you would they should do unto you. This implies, 
that in all your transactions with them, integrity and 
righteous dealing should constantly preserve you; and 
that in all your communications to them, the law of 
unbending truth should constantly dwell upon your 
lips. This implies, that if they be in necessity, and 
you have this world's good, you should open your hand 
wide to your poor brother; and where will you go, 
in a sinful world like ours, where there is not some 
misery to be relieved, some tear to be wiped away, or 
some mourning heart to be comforted*? 

st In the third place — pity, and pray for, and be kind 
unto those of your fellow creatures who are still walk- 
ing in spiritual darkness, and dwelling in the land of 
the shadow of death. Be it so, that they have insulted 
you, or injured you, or slandered you, and persevered 
in despitefully using you. Look at them in their 
true character and condition. Whatever be their outward 
circumstances, they are impenitent and without Christ, 
and living and moving under the anger of God. Carry 
your eye forward. They have to endure the agonies of 
death, and of death without hope, if they shall not 
previously have obtained repentance and mercy. Yiew 
them amid the horrors of a lost eternity, just as the 
word of God describes the eternity of those who have 
died in their sins. Take these views by a realizing 
faith; and compassion, I am sure, will crush every 
rising of anger, and you will send up your intercessions 

a a 



clxciv 



THE LIFE OF 



to the God of all mercy, that, for the sake of Jesus, 
he would pity, and pardon, and renew them, and 
number them with his saints in glory everlasting. In 
these and the like exercises and habits of the soul 
consisteth the love of our fellow-creatures ; and this 
generous disinterested love of our fellow-creatures is one 
high branch of christian holiness." 

For the length of these passages I offer no apology. 
They relate to a subject of paramount importance; to 
a subject equally important with that of love to 
God; or rather, to a different expression of the same 
subject. The two precepts meet in very beautiful con- 
nexion. If it be true that one of the best proofs of 
love to God is brotherly love, it is no less true that 
one of the best proofs of brotherly love is love to God. 
The former position applies the test of philanthropy to 
christian profession; the latter, the test of christian 
principle to philanthropy. I wish I could be per- 
suaded, on sufficient evidence, that love to man, 
as a co-equally indispensable duty with love to 
God, is not grievously neglected even by those who 
aspire to a cordial performance of the other. The his- 
tory of sects, the history of parties, unhappily forbids 
the persuasion. Good old Henry Venn felt this when 
he said, ss The great depravity of man is indifference 
to his fellow-creatures ; yet how seldom do books, or 
sermons, or serious people, urge the point with earnest- 
ness! How many thousand prayers have I put up 
that I might love God, and be delivered from the curse 
and from the power of sin! How few that I might 
love my fellow-sinners!" "I would as willingly," said 
Baxter, "be a martyr for charity as for faith." Is 
this the prevalent feeling now % Can we say as much ? 
I fear not. We should be called latitudinarians if we 
did. In overt acts of toleration we shame our prede- 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. clxcv 



cessors; in the divine science of brotherly love (with 
which, rightly understood and rightly developed, toleration 
is scarcely less incompatible than intolerance, being, in 
fact, precisely the same thing modified) how inconsidera- 
ble our advances ! It is notorious, that ' f love of the 
brethren," whether within or without the household of 
faith, is not even professed as it ought to be. It is 
professed timidly, and subordinately, and without heart. 
Wanting the certainty of a principle, it wants the efficacy 
of a principle. We insist too rigidly upon opinionative 
unity, to be united in spirit. In the exercise of a 
proud and petrifying egotism, we make conformity to 
ourselves the ground and condition of brotherhood. We 
require men to think as we think, before we love them. 
For that which is impossible, a unity of intellectual 
conviction, we are ready to contend even unto 
death ; whilst in respect of that which is attainable, 
a unity of charity, (a unity incumbent upon us, for it 
is moral) we display the most lamentable and culpable 
indifference. Yet love — love to God as God, and love 
to man for God's sake — is the sum and substance, the 
life and essence, of pure religion, as well as the divinest 
testimony to its unearthly origin. The deadliest of 
heresies is the want of love. It is the unloving who 
are Anathema Maran-atha. Love is the sweetest and 
grandest power in the universe. God is love; and to 
be filled with all his fulness, what is it but to be 
filled with love 4 ? Theories are nothing, if they do 
not lead to love. Love, consistently with the whole 
tenour of God's dealings with us, and particularly so 
with the character of Jesus, is superior both to Faith 
and Hope. Charity is the greatest, because she embodies 
in herself the attributes of the other two cardinal graces. 
She believeth all things ; she hopeth all things. She 
loves God, and is loved of him ; and, eager to imitate 



clxcvi 



THE LIFE OF 



his benevolence and beneficence, her love is diffused, 
with ungrudging liberality, over all his creatures. 

Many of the letters in the following collection, and 
some of the extracts, were written to two ladies, the 
daughters of one of Mr. Housman's oldest and most 
constant friends. How dearly he regarded them will 
abundantly appear in the course of the correspondence ; 
how worthy of his regard they were, is known to Him 
alone, who, in the inscrutable appointments of a provi- 
dence that cannot err, has seen fit to prepare them 
for a happier and a nobler state of being by long con- 
tinued and most afflicting bodily indisposition. Addressing 
one of their brothers in 1824, it is thus that their 
affectionate pastor and spiritual parent writes. " I fear 
that your two dear sisters are not in any measure 
recovered from their sickness. The ways of the Lord 
are indeed mysterious, in laying aside from active use- 
fulness two such christians. But they can and they do 
glorify God in the fires, by their patient suffering; 
and when patience has had its perfect work, they will 
come forth like gold. We should always remember 
the saying of good Matthew Henry, "That is best for 
us, which is best for our souls.' When the judgments 
of God are made manifest, the two sufferers will feel 
and exclaim ' He hath done all things well.'" 

MY DEAR E R, 

The seraphic Hervey has observed concerning solitude, 
" This is the place where I may with advantage apply 
myself to subdue the rebel within, and be master, not 
of a sceptre, but of myself." With the advantages of 
solitude my dear child is now privileged. Unincumbered 
with the cares of the world, and secluded from its 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxcvii 



bustle, you can enjoy the comforts and the benefits of 
being alone ; and avoid its usual concomitant inconveni- 
ences, by relaxing, whenever you like, in the unreserved 
intercourse of an united family. Thus favoured, what 
a tall christian shall we expect to see, when you revisit 
Lancaster! We shall look at your countenance, that 
we may observe its shining. 

But situation cannot do everything. It is well that 
it cannot. If it could, with such hearts as ours, it 
would soon rob God of the glory of his grace. With 
an impious idolatry we should be ascribing every right 
frame or feeling of the mind, to quiet, and w T oods, and 
valleys. But we are taught, again and again, to know, 
that externals have not any mighty power, either to 
give or to take away peace. Yet seclusion, if sanctified, 
can bring many a blessing. You can walk into your 
shrubbery — you can take a leaf; you can apply the 
microscope. You can observe its veins and arteries, 
and a most wonderful mechanism which gives it its 
colour and its use. The whole is intended as a mani- 
festation of the divine wisdom, goodness, and power; 
and wherever the Lord is beheld and adored, there is 
elevation and peace. You retire from your garden to 
your chamber. There you open another book besides 
the book of nature. With the aid of a better instrument 
than that of a microscope, even the instrument of a 
realizing faith, you can look at the things which are 
not visible to the mortal eye. You can penetrate into 
the interior of what is revealed. You pierce far deeper 
than into the true meaning of the text. You behold 
the mind and the perfections of the Great God. You 
behold righteousness and mercy circulating through every 
vein of the Bible. And when you can truly discern 
the glory of the Lord in the face of Jesus Christ, you 
have not a wish at the time to see more. The view 



clxcviii 



THE LIFE OF 



satisfies, exhilarates, sanctifies. It brings along with it 
its own evidence that it came from heaven ; and it is 
accompanied by a blessed consciousness, that it is ex- 
citing those dispositions of the heart, which could relish, 
and which are preparing for, the peculiar felicity of 
the saints in glory. Ah! what could we do without 
Faith*? Well indeed is it called "precious faith." 
It is precious, whether we consider it as e ' the evidence 
of things not seen;" as the telescope of the soul, by 
which divine things are beheld in their truth, and 
excellence, and order, and harmony; or whether we 
consider it as that disposition of the heart, by which 
we receive and repose on the Redeemer for his mercy; 
or whether we consider it as that principle which leads 
us, in the exercise of prayer, to be looking to the 
gracious Head of the Church for those supplies of his 
Spirit which we daily need, and which we had been 
imploring. 

On looking at what I have written, I see that I 
shall send a sermon instead of a note. Have I copied 

E r's occasional abstraction from worldly persons 

and worldly things, and mistaken one thing for another % 

But whether note or sermon, it must be concluded. 
And shall I, like a young lady whom I could name, 
travel as far as the friged zone in search of a conclu- 
sion, and say "yours most sincerely?" I will ask 
counsel of one nearer home. I will consult an inmate, 
which, though treacherous and deceitful enough in 
matters of eternal moment, is tolerably correct upon 
other points. That inmate says, "Subscribe yourself 

dear E r's very faithful and very affectionate friend" 

Robert Housman. 

Saturday, July 11, 1816. 

MY DEAR E , 

Having heard of your kind father's indisposition, I 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



clxcix 



had intended to make inquiries concerning him, but 
your very welcome note renders it unnecessary. I hope 
that his recovery will be rapid and confirmed, if the 
Lord will : or that it will be sanctified to us all, if that 
will should be otherwise. "For us they sicken." The 
illness of a dear friend or relative, teaches us many a 
lesson: but may not the Saviour say concerning us — 
"O fools, and slow of heart to believe." 

You say nothing concerning your health: I shall 
retaliate, and say nothing concerning mine. I will do 
as I ought to do — return good for evil. Through mercy, 
I am tolerable, though I was sadly shattered last Sun- 
day. The whole duty, including the Sacrament, rested 
on my feeble shoulders, on my feeble head, and on 
my worse heart. But having obtained help from God, 
I got through the whole ; and from what I have heard, 
I hope some good was done. Pray for me, my dear 
friend, that my views may be simple : and that the 
love of Christ, and the love of souls, may be the grand 
commanding affections of my heart. You will keep 
close, my beloved child, to a throne of grace — remem- 
bering the promise in Rom. x. 13. 

Your very affectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 

July 18, 1816. 

MY DEAR E , 

I send you a sermon, without its companion. The 
companion has not been preached in public, because 
Mr. B — . preached in the afternoon. As the way to 
Silverdale, for my poor compositions, is through the 
pulpit of St. Anne's, you must wait another week. 

The Lord has had mercy, in restoring to you your 
valuable father. You will pray to see, and to feel, and 
to adore, the mercy. Heaven is a place of enjoyment, 



cc 



THE LIFE OF 



because the glory of the Lord is there manifested in 
full brightness ; and the clear knowledge of his per- 
fections and character, and the affections excited by 
the knowledge, give the joy. ' Absent from the body, 
present with the Lord ; e We shall see him as he is' 
These are the scripture accounts of heavenly bliss; 
and in proportion as we can here obtain spiritual views 
of the Lord's dealings, and of his equity and mercy in 
all, we learn his character and find enjoyment. Let 
us pray for the Spirit's light, and the Spirit's power, 
and we shall be blessed with foretastes. 

My dear E 's very affectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 

In the formation of the Auxiliary Bible Society, which 
took place in August, 1816, and which he was chiefly 
instrumental in introducing into the town, Mr. Housman 
bore a prominent part. For some time previous, deeply 
feeling the importance of a general distribution of the 
word of God, and especially of its being carried to 
those who could not afford to obtain it out of their 
own precarious and contracted resources, he had been in 
the habit of dispensing gratuitously, in conjunction with 
a few benevolent members of the congregation of St. 
Anne's, copies of the New Testament among the neces- 
sitous poor of Lancaster and its vicinity. The funds 
with which these precious books were purchased, arose 
from the ready and extensive contributions of his affec- 
tionate people, one of whose most admirable character- 
istics undoubtedly was, and indeed continues to be, a 
prompt acquiescence and an energetic co-operation in 
any project that contemplated the advancement of the 
temporal or spiritual interests of their fellow-creatures. 
Soon after the establishment of this excellent Society 
here, the Committee determined, in direct contravention 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN, 



cci 



of one of their own resolutions, to suspend the very 
laudable practice of supplying the oracles of life with- 
out money and without price — a decision that occasioned 
Mr. Housman unfeigned regret and pain, and led to 
his temporary secession, as Senior Secretary, from the 
Institution. In answer to a letter from the Rev. W. 
C. Wilson, in which that gentleman seems to have 
judiciously suggested the dangers likely to accrue from 
disunion among the supporters of an Association, the 
very nature and object of which provoked a sufficient 
amount of obstruction from without, the minister of St. 
Anne's addressed to his friend the following explanatory 
communication. It is truly characteristic of the writer, 
in whom inflexible fidelity to convictions was uniformly 
softened and graced by the ornament of a meek and 
quiet spirit. 

MY DEAR WILLIAM, 

I should regret, most sincerely and deeply, any 
circumstance which might affect the prosperity of the 
Bible Society here. My secession for a time, will do 
no such thing. It will have a contrary effect. It will 
assist in bringing some well meaning, but I think 
very positive young men, into a temper of conciliation ; 
and thus remove from the minds of some liberal con- 
tributors a disgust against their very contracted pro- 
ceedings. I will briefly state three things. 

1. I continued to act with the Committee every 
committee night, with the exception, I believe, only of 
one, until I found that a Resolution, which had been 
carried by a majority, concerning the supply of the 
necessitous poor gratuitously, was to be resisted and 
evaded in every possible way. Within the last two 
months, a near relation of a leading person in the 

bb 



ecu 



THE LIFE OF 



Committee, and who was certainly the organ of her 
relation, stated in a company of my friends most 
positively, that no Bibles would be given. To act 
therefore with a body which would not be governed 
by its own resolutions, is impossible. It will be said 
— "But if the poor had applied, their cases would 
have been considered." Their application was altogether 
precluded by the impression made upon their minds 
that they must either pay for the Scriptures or go 
without them. Not one of them, I believe, was told 
that there was any possibility of receiving a Bible, 
however great their necessities, without money. 

2. / could not attend without being engaged in per- 
petual altercation upon the point. More than one of 
my friends has occasionally been thus engaged since 
the commencement of the Institution. A minister 
should not be implicated in these disputes. He may 
be betrayed into an unbecoming warmth of temper. 

3. The poor under our own eye are most particularly 
thrown upon our protection and bounty by the wise 
providence of God. They are our own "house," for 
which we are to "provide." Their situation here is 
most calamitous. Many of them are entirely out of 
work, and their children are half starved. Many of 
them are upon the parish. Some of them are borrow- 
ing the pennies with which they subscribe, and many 
can raise their pennies no longer. To co-operate, then, 
in a system which will not carry freely to these poor 
creatures that blessed book which can direct their eyes 
and hearts to a better world, appears to me to be 
morally and religiously wrong. But they must and 
shall be provided for. If the Bible Society will not 
do it, my congregation will. I delay a collection 
until after the Anniversary, and for two reasons, as I 
have told the Committee in a note to Mr. Welch; 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cciii 



because, first, a congregational collection might in some 
measure affect the annual subscriptions to the Auxiliary ; 
and, secondly, the new Committee may see it expedient to 
search out the poorest of the poor, and give them the 
word of life " without money and without price." In 
this case I will instantly co-operate with them, heart 
and hand; no congregational collection will be neces- 
sary ; and a complete union between all parties will be 
effected. 

You will see from this plain statement, that there 
wants nothing to restore perfect cordiality among the 
contributors to the Society but a disposition in the 
Committee to act with decision and liberality, according 
to a resolution which already stands upon its books. 

If "patience" and ' ' self-denial " would have availed 
in this concern, I hope that I should have been enabled 
to practise them; but you now see how the matter 
stands. I shall not only continue my subscription, 
but I have exerted, and shall exert, my little influence 
to prevent any subscriber from withdrawing. Yours 
very affectionately, 

Robert Housman. 

The following is a copy of the letter to Mr. Welch, 
at that time Secretary of the Lancaster Auxiliary Bible 
Society. 

August 18, 1817. 

MY DEAR SIR, 

I am sorry that I must decline taking any measures 
concerning the intended Anniversary of the Lancaster 
Auxiliary Bible Society; and I am sorry that I have 
to request that you will erase my name from the list 
of Secretaries. I will honestly state the reasons. 



cciv 



THE LIFE OF 



You know that before the formation of the Lancaster 
Auxiliary Bible Society, the Committee of St. Anne's 
had been distributing the Holy Scriptures gratuitously 
for several years, and, I believe, to the comfort, and I 
hope to the benefit, of several hundred persons. When 
I gave up this confined and local plan of operation, on 
the formation of the Auxiliary, I did not expect that 
the poor of the town and neighbourhood would be 
placed in a worse situation as to receiving the Scrip- 
tures, than they had been while under the care of our 
Chapel Committee. So soon as I had reason to fear 
that this might be the case, I proposed a motion, which, 
after a considerable discussion, was carried by a ma- 
jority of the Auxiliary Bible Committee, that the 
necessitous poor should, under certain regulations, still 
be the objects of gratuitous distribution. I supposed 
that all opposition to this point, and all debate upon 
it, were precluded by the vote which had been passed. 
But if I am not incorrectly informed, much impediment 
has been thrown in the way of this free and liberal 
grant of the word of God. I lament the circumstance 
on many accounts. I lament it, because the situation 
of the poor has been, and still is, calamitous in the 
extreme. Many of them are out of employment, and 
their children have not half a sufficiency of bread. 
Many of them are compelled to seek parochial relief ; 
and some of them are actually obliged to borrow the 
pennies with which they subscribe. It does not appear 
to me that any one of these classes should have been 
permitted to subscribe. I lament the circumstance, 
because many subscribers are grieved and disappointed 
by the mode which has been exclusively adopted; es- 
pecially, since the application perhaps of one sixth, but 
certainly of one third part, of the contributions, would 
have been quite sufficient for local purposes, and would 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCV 



have prevented much disunion. I lament it, because 
I cannot with comfort co-operate (beyond my individual 
subscription) . in the prosecution of a system, by which 
the necessitous poor of our town and neighbourhood 
are virtually prevented from receiving the Scriptures. 
These poor are peculiarly thrown, in the providence of 
God, upon our notice and our bounty. I am aware 
that it has been said, ff If the poor had made appli- 
cation, their cases would have been attended to." I 
answer — they were never encouraged to make appli- 
cation. An impression was made upon their minds, 
that they could not have the Scriptures without 
purchase. 

As I consider it a duty, from which I will not and 
dare not shrink, to form a plan, by a congregational 
collection, to supply the very necessitous poor with the 
Bible gratuitously, yet I shall postpone the execution 
of my plan until the Anniversary on the 4th of Sep- 
tember is over. 1 postpone it for two reasons ; first, a 
congregational collection at St. Anne's might affect 
the subscriptions to the Bible Society, and this circum- 
stance I should wish to avoid; secondly, it is possible that 
a new Committee, if a new Committee should be 
formed, may see it expedient to search out the poorest 
of the poor, and convey to them, in their present ne- 
cessities, the Scriptures of Truth, "without money and 
without price." I should rejoice if such a resolution 
were adopted. I would join them heart and hand. No 
congregational collection would then be necessary; but 
such a union would be effected, as, I believe, would 
establish the Bible Society on a permanent basis. 

I have great pleasure in inclosing my annual sub- 
scription for the next year ; and I remain, dear Sir, 
yours very truly and respectfully, 

Robert Housman. 



ccvi 



THE LIFE OF 



Whether the Committee were right or wrong in stop- 
ping the supplies to the necessitous poor, may perhaps 
be a question ; — there can be none, I presume, respecting 
the obligation that lay upon them either to comply 
with their own resolutions deliberately framed and 
formally established, or, if compliance had become in- 
convenient, to repeal them. Mr. Housman's retirement 
was but of short continuance.* 

The sentiment expressed under the second head of 
the first of these two characteristic epistles, was with 

* At the close of the Twenty Second Annual Report, read at a public meeting 
held in the Friends' Meeting House, on Friday evening, June 8th, 1838, just and 
honourable mention is made of the venerable subject of these lines. The Report is 
understood to be the composition of the Rev. Samuel Bell. 

" On reviewing the events of the past year, the Committee feel that they 
ought not to conclude this Report without recording their sincere tribute of 
respect to the memory of one whom they had to follow to his ' long home 1 
a few weeks ago ; and who, when living, was a warm and faithful friend and 
supporter of this Institution. The late Rev. Robert Housman was among the 
principal agents in estabbshing this local Auxiliary. For the protracted period 
of 21 years, he held the office of Senior Secretary : and not till he began to 
sink under the infirmities of old age, did he relax in his zealous efforts to 
promote its important objects. Knowing by personal experience that ■* the Holy 
Scriptures are able to make wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus,' 
his attachment to the Bible Society was based upon firm and settled principles, 
so that it could neither be weakened by lapse of time, nor shaken by any appearance 
of adverse circumstances. And that holy Book, which he was anxious to 
circulate among his fellow mortals, as a ' lamp to their feet, and a light to their path,' 
to conduct them to Christ, to God, to happiness, and to heaven, he himself highly 
valued and diligently perused, as being ' profitable for doctrine and reproof, for 
correction, and for instruction in righteousness.' In its sacred contents he searched 
as for hidden treasure, and discovered there a mine of wealth unspeakable and 
inexhaustible. Throughout its wide and extensive field of promises, he roamed with 
ever new delight, and found them to be ' exceeding great and precious.' From its 
kind and gracious assurances be derived ' strong consolation ' in the midst of severe 
anguish and heavy affliction. And its divine truths, which shed rays of glory around 
his dying pillow, became the strength of his heart and the stay of his soul, whilst 
his earthly bouse of this tabernacle was dissolving. For him to live was Christ, and 
to die, gain. His end was peace. He has entered into rest. The blessedness of 
those who die in the Lord, is his inheritance and enjoyment. But his works survive 
him. Though dead, he yet speaks by this Society ; and his language is ' take care, 
that whilst you give the Bible to others to feed upon, you prize it yourselves, and 
make it the food of your own immortal souls.' ' Be ye ready also, for in such an 
hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh.' " 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccvii 



Mr. Housman a sentiment of powerful and habitual 
operation: and to its salutary prevalence may doubtless 
be attributed much of the success of his prolonged 
labours in the Church of Christ. Entertaining an 
unconquerable horror of retarding the progress of the 
Gospel by weakening the moral influence of its professed 
ministers (whom, with Jeremy Taylor, he regarded as 
"the choicest of God's choice, the elect of his election, 
a church picked out of the church") he judiciously 
abstained from participating in any transactions, however 
reputable in themselves, which might excite dispositions, 
and betray him into a line of conduct, at variance 
with the pacific spirit of his faith. "Wist ye not 
that I must be about my Father's business*?" im- 
plies the constraining principle of his daily and hourly 
life; and this business he sought to prosecute with the 
diligent gentleness of "the glorious Nazarene." Party- 
politics, the most prolific source of personal and relative 
discomfort, were of course conscientiously avoided. 
Probably no clergyman ever mixed in them without 
being the worse for his meddling. They have slain, 
and are still destroying, their thousands. They may 
sharpen the intellect, and give an edge to the disputa- 
tious faculty, but they blunt the heart. They have a 
petrifying, secularizing tendency, and lead to practical 
atheism. They more frequently break than rivet the 
bonds of human brotherhood ; for they exalt opinions 
above affections. "A minister's business," says Mrs. 
Housman, in one of her letters to Miss Coltman, (and 
her views were usually those of her husband,) e * is with 
the Gospel of Peace. ' Christ and him crucified ' is 
all that he should be determined to know ; for when 
he begins to interfere with other matters, the glorious 
cause intrusted to him generally suffers loss. The 
Saviour's rich legacy was ' My Peace I give unto you,' 



ccvm 



THE LIFE OF 



and he intended the gift no doubt to be an entailed 
possession. How lamentable, when his disciples alie- 
nate the hereditary treasure, and, instead of faithfully 
conveying it, and diligently dispensing its blessings, cut 
off the entail, and stir up strife and discord!" Doing 
the work of an evangelist, Mr. Housman, no less po- 
sitively than his wife, held to be perfectly incompatible 
with doing the work of a busy political partisan; and 
the history of Lancaster during the declining years of 
his life, unhappily afforded abundant confirmation of 
the truth of his conviction. Deploring, not long before 
his release, the proneness of the clergy to engage in 
the unholy wars of faction, he remarked, that for his 
part he should prefer to imitate John Newton, who 
used to say, during the progress of the French 
Revolution, "that people were continually talking of 
Democrats, Aristocrats, Autocrats, and various other 
kinds of Crais, but that he, if they would only let 
him have his own way, would live and die a Quiet- 
crat" Would to God that all churches abounded more 
in Quietcrats! They will, when the grace of Christ 
abounds more. 

To what are called " religious controversies," in which 
Satan generally gains more than God, Mr. Housman 
entertained nearly as strong an objection as he did to 
political party conflicts. He felt with Baxter, that 
"while we wrangle here in the dark we are dying, 
and passing to the world that will decide all our 
controversies; and the safest passage thither is by 
peaceable holiness." Some of the lamentable conse- 
quences of theological contentions, he has pointed out 
in the following extract. " The attention of the infidel 
has been arrested by this unchristian bitterness ; and 
having compared the conduct with the rule, the temper 
with the doctrine, the professor with the Bible, he has 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. Ccix 

turned aside with equal derision and disgust from the 
shameful inconsistency; he has become confirmed in 
the errors which perhaps an affectation of singularity 
first led him to adopt, and he has reviled and opposed 
Christianity itself, when his opposition and invectives 
should merely have been directed against its angry 
advocates. Ye furious disputants — ye defenders of the 
faith but destroyers of peace — ye know not what 
manner of spirit ye are of, nor can you estimate the 
evil to which you may conduce. Where the grand 
principles of the Bible — the guilt, the weakness, and 
the ruin of man ; the love, the truth, and the precious- 
ness of the -Saviour, who of God is made unto us 
wisdom, am righteousness, and sanctification, and 
redemption ; n *re these principles are maintained with 
meekness and yet with firmness, are felt in the con- 
science and evidenced in the conduct, there is 'the 
spirit of glory and of God;' there is a soul for which 
the Saviour withheld neither his interposition nor his 
life; and there surely is an object too dignified to be 
insulted by our reproaches, too closely allied to the 
common friend and father of his people, to be wounded 
by our unkindness." "These angry disputants," he 
elsewhere says, "have need to be reminded, that, 
whilst they contend earnestly for the faith, without 
forbearing one another in love, they undermine the 
cause they mean to support; they sacrifice the beauty 
and the comforts of godliness to the pride of party; 
they exhibit religion, not 'as altogether lovely,' but in 
a state of mutilation, deformity, and disgust; they 
strengthen the hands of infidelity, which they seem 
desirous to enervate; and, to say all in a word, they 
betray their Master with a kiss." He felt, and he 
often acknowledged, when the rampant zeal of intoler- 
ant theologians disturbed his dwelling with the sound 

c c 



ccx 



THE LIFE OF 



of its ungracious discord, that the most effectual way 
of arresting the progress of error, is, not to oppose the 
evil in an attitude of fierce defiance, but to instil, with 
equal fidelity and affection, the counteracting influences 
of truth. A long and abundant experience had taught 
him that prejudices are seldom overcome by direct 
attacks of irony or anger ; and that dogmatical damning 
is not the best method of winning souls. He had 
lived to see and to feel, more distinctly, more sincerely, 
the beauty and the power of the law of love begetting 
love— the grand centre-law of the moral system of the 
universe, and the foundation-principle of the Gospel of 
Redemption — and had yielded himself, with a hearty 
and an entire surrender, to its mild and humanizing 
constraint. "Love," says Mr. Simeon, "is the universal 
conqueror;" Mr. Housman found it to be so. 

Though constitutionally warm and hasty tempered, 
the venerable subject of these memoirs may be said to 
have attained, through grace, to an unprovokable spirit. 
The religion of Jesus had sweetened his nature, as well 
as elevated it: impressed it with gentleness, as well as 
informed it with power. He was emphatically a man 
of peace. "I appeal to all who were in the habit of 
conversing with him, and who really knew his character, 
if I am not fully justified in using that term. There 
was something in his manner and appearance, nay, even 
in the very sound of his voice, which spoke of peace ; 
all was calm and quiet around him and within him ; 
the world, with its noise and restlessness, was ever 
shut out; he heard of it only as we hear the roar of 
the stormy ocean, borne to us by the wind from afar; 
he had no heart for its turmoils, no hand in its schemes, 
and seldom turned so much as a look towards its 
commotions. The same stillness prevailed in his 
dwelling which reigned in the mind of its owner; his 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CCxi 

was a calm which seemed to spread itself from his 
own heart to the hearts of those with whom he held 
converse. I do not think that the most ruffled spirit 
could have remained in his presence without being 
tranquillized ; there was a serenity in his manner which 
would have acted as oil on the troubled waters ; all 
that was disturbed and violent would, if brought in 
contact with one so placid, have died away. There is 
a peace which the world giveth, and which they that 
are of the world enjoy; there is a peace which a 
naturally placid temper gives; and there is a peace 
which arises from mere outward prosperity. Sadly 
indeed do they mistake, and awfully will they be 
deceived, who suppose that a state of mind so low, so 
earthly, and so unspiritual, will bring a man peace 
at the last! But how different was that peace which 
he of whom I speak enjoyed! It sprang from far 
other sources; it rested on quite another foundation; 
it had respect to a far other recompense; — it had, 
as I firmly believe, the Holy Spirit for its author, 
Christ for its rock, and Heaven for its end." Such, on 
the authority of Archdeacon Lear, was Bishop Burgess ; 
such, too, precisely such, was Mr. Housman. The 
portrait might have been intended for both. 

The next letter, addressed to one of the beloved young 
friends before mentioned, is without a date; but the 
hand-writing seems to prescribe for* it a place in this 
part of the memoir. 

Saturday Morning. 

The sight of a note from my dear E r always 

gives me pleasure, though the communication in your 
last excited feelings very opposite to delight. Judging 
and expecting according to my sanguine disposition, I 



ccxii 



THE LIFE OF 



had concluded that our beloved E would have 

been so recruited by the air of Silverdale, and by 
exercise on her pony, that she would have returned to 
Lancaster in October, comparatively robust. But the 
recurrence of the violent pain in her head seems to 
preclude any confident expectation of such a result. 
But she is in wise and gracious hands. The furnace 
in which infinite mercy continues her, will not be heated 
the thousandth part of a degree beyond what will 
subserve to her best interests, and to the brightening 
of her immortal crown. I am disposed to grieve at 
my inability that I cannot restore her health; but perhaps, 
if I could do it effectually, I should injure her soul: 
"These are they which came out of great tribulation." 
Present to her my very kind love, with very cordial 
wishes that Grace, Mercy, and Peace, may rest abun- 
dantly upon her. 

One part of my dear E r's note informed me 

that she was well : another part seemed to intimate that 
she did not look altogether strong: you must inform 
me next Saturday concerning both E and your- 

self. I write in great haste, having been much engaged 
during the week, and having the greatest part, or rather 
almost the whole, of tomorrow's sermon yet to write. 
I was sorry that the concluding sermon on the Trans- 
figuration could not be sent last Saturday; but Mrs. 

Housman had promised it to Mrs. H , and it is 

now at Manchester; when it is returned, it shall visit 
my beloved friends at Silverdale. 

Last evening our anniversary of the Bible Society 
was held in the National School for Girls. The room 
was crowded, and the meeting was very interesting. 
Farewell. 

I am my dear E r's most affectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxiii 



P. S. I am sorry that I really have not time to 

write a note to dear E . Perhaps next week 

I may indulge myself, and scribble to her. 

The following note (sent with some manuscript 
sermons) though unusually brief, exhibits Mr. Housman's 
character with singular exactness. Within the compass 
of a dozen lines, it represents him as an attached 
and affectionate pastor, and as a faithful, humble, and 
entirely devoted christian. Miniatures like this are 
invaluable. 

Saturday, Aug. 23, 1817. 

MY DEAR E , 

Miss B. continues another week, or perhaps ten days, 
at Sunderland. She is looking well. I left the family 
last evening, to attend to my larger family at St. Anne's. 
It has devolved upon me to transmit the inclosed. 
Partiality will favourably receive them, and a heavenly 
agent can abundantly apply and bless them. What a 
thought! — that the grace of Christ can be magnified 
in human weakness. 

Press forward, my dear child; for The Crown of 
Life will be found worthy of the whole exertion of all 

the powers of the soul. I am, my dear E , 

your very affectionate friend and minister, 

Robert Housman. 

Friday, September 29. 

MY DEAR E R, 

You ask from me a note, that is, a short epistle. 
But is it wise to ask from me a short letter, when you 
can have many long ones from St. Peter and St. Paul % 
I can tell you that"/ love you; they can assure you 
that the Lord loves you. / can say that / am a 
poor changeable being; they can comfort you with the 



ccxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



tidings that the Saviour " changeth not." / must in- 
form you, if I would be honest, that whatever be my 
inclination to help and bless you, my means are scanty, 
and my ability is nothing; they can remind you that 
unto your Immanuel "all power is given, in heaven and 
in earth." / must say that / am a dying creature, 
and that even my wishes for your spiritual health 
and consolation must soon be stifled in the dust; they 
can revive you with the intelligence that Jesus "ever 
liveth," and ever liveth " to make intercession " for you 
while you are on the earth, and ever liveth to lead 
you unto living fountains of waters in the everlasting 
kingdom. I say then, is it wise to repair to a 
scanty, muddy, and scarcely discernible rivulet, when 
at any moment you could come to a clear, refreshing, 
perennial spring, and drink and rejoice for ever*? But 
if I should hear, or fancy that I heard it said, " If thou 
art without sin in this respect, take up a stone and 

cast it at E r," my conscience would scarcely suffer 

me to take up one even as small as a grain of sand. 
Alas ! through life I have been but too prone to attach 
an undue degree of importance to, and inordinately to 
expect comfort from, the creature, in the form of 
family and friends. I speak of a proneness to this; 
but there are seasons, I hope, when all creatures, and 
the world which contains them, are scarcely perceptible, 
even through a microscope. May such seasons, my 
dear young friend, refresh and exhilarate you and me; 
and may every day bring such a season. 

You ask "What success did Monday's request meet 
with 4 ?" If I understand your question, you refer to 

the manuscript sermons, which Mr. H solicited. 

It was said concerning the placability of 'Archbishop 
Cranmer, "Do my Lord of Canterbury but one shrewd 
turn, and he's your friend for ever." I wish at least 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CCXV 



always to feel likewise. I had really thought that 
your good visitor might not have been entirely out of 
the path of duty if he had devoted last Sunday to the 
help of a weakly brother; and when I saw him on 
Monday,, I took my revenge, for I received him most 
cordially/ lent him the manuscripts most cheerfully, and 
volunteered to preach for him, if I should have an op- 
portunity, in passing through Leicester. But I could 
account for his lack of service. Last week was, 
if I mistake not, a week of fascination with many. 

Mr. H was fascinated with Silverdale; the old 

women, and perhaps some young ladies of Silverdale, 

were fascinated with Mr. H ; no wonder then, if 

in the midst of this general enchantment, poor St. 
Anne's and her minister were a little overlooked. But 
His Holiness the Pope never granted a fuller and a 
more effectual absolution than I do to all the parties, 
whoever they are, who were under the influence of the 
magic spell. 

Since last I wrote, Miss B has been extremely 

ill. On Tuesday I called in Dr. Campbell; he con- 
descended to approve of all that I bad done.* Her com- 
plaint fluctuates ; but I consider that she is recovering. 
Her mind is in a delightful frame. Yours affection- 
ately, 

Robert Housman. 

Soon after his departure from Acrelands an unexpected 
gleam of brightness passed over the pecuniary prospects 
of the family at Greenfield. Mr. Housman was equally 
incapable of deriving solid happiness from money, and 
of receiving any advantage, whether spiritual or worldly, 
with an ungrateful or indifferent heart. His letters of 



* Mr. Housraan's medical knowledge was far from being contemptible, and 
proved of great service to him throughout life in visiting the sick. 



ccxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



this period, and in reference to this subject, are accordingly 
characterized by a more than ordinary degree of self- 
dedication to the author and giver of all good. "The 
state of the heart toward God," he observes to one of 
his correspondents, "is the Barometer of all true 
enjoyment. * * It has been well said, 'Money 
sometimes does good; the expectation of it, never.' If 
I know anything of myself, I can truly say, in the 
presence of the great Searcher of hearts, that I would 
much, oh very much rather, that I and mine should 
walk in the light of the Lord's countenance, though in 
great poverty, than have the largest treasures, with 
mere worldliness of spirit. Place anything, or every- 
thing, in the balance against eternal joy, and what 
does it weigh % Oh ! press forward after the wondrous 
prize ! " And in another letter he thus writes. '* My 
gradation of enjoyment, as it respects myself, is this. 
1. Communion with the Saviour, by aiming to see some- 
thing of his excellence, and to feel some suitable affec- 
tions towards him. This is the grand, and should be 
the daily, or rather hourly, concern. If this be not 
attended to, all goes wrong. 2. Domestic comfort, 
within the circle of my own fireside. This with me 
is the second source of happiness. 3. The society of 
friends, whose hearts I know are both sincere and 
warm, and whose countenances beam with benevolence 
and kindness." How simple, and yet how majestic, 
are the pleasures of the righteous ! The sweetest of all 
lives is surely the life that is religious. Often have I felt, 
in turning away from Greenfield, how appropriate to that 
dwelling was the sentiment of Cecil as he left the abode 
of Bernard Gilpin ; " There dwells as much happiness as 
can be known on earth." Well might the Kev. Legh 
Richmond, after having visited Mr. |Housman's family, 
remark, "The grace of God indeed appears here." 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCXV11 



The commencement of the next letter alludes to the 
following passage in a previous note. Having accounted 
for the non-transmission of manuscripts, he says — " I 
recommend to my very kind friends a very frequent 
perusal of the Sermons of Peter and Paul, and of the 
Master of Peter and Paul. Don't murmur that you 
cannot, for a week or two, sip at a very scanty stream, 
when you can drink deeply at the Fountain." 

Sept. 5, 1818. 

MY DEAR E , 

I concluded, from your servant not having called last 
Saturday, either that his memory had failed, or that you 
had wisely preferred drinking at the "Fountain," rather 
than at a very shallow stream; or that your good 
father was again unwell, and your servant could not 
be spared. I called upon your brother to inquire con- 
cerning the latter supposition. It is a wise petition 
in the Moravian Liturgy, " From all needless perplexities 
— deliver us." 

I send you four sermons — one of them an old one; but 
we know who can apply it, and make it a blessing. 

###**# I ;h a y e b een |) US y this week 

with my Pastoral Visitor, and am a little shattered by 
the labour, and I have not the prospect of any help 
to-morrow. But I have so often found it true, " When 
I am weak, then am I strong," that it would be as 
foolish as it is wicked to doubt receiving seasonable 
and sufficient help. 

I long to have a certain large pew in the chapel 
again occupied. Is it, that I may have more souls to 
speak to, or that I may have many kind friends near 
me? It is difficult to come fairly and truly at one's 
motives. I wish, at least, that mine may be always 
upright and holy. In one thing, however, deceitful as 

dd 



ccxvm 



THE LIFE OF 



the heart is, I am not mistaken; I am sure that I 
speak sincerely when I say, that I am my dear 

E 's very affectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 

"I shall he glad," he writes, addressing the same 
friend a month later, "when you enter into your win- 
ter quarters. I don't like that large and sad vacuity 
which I see in the chapel on my left hand; but I do 
like the prospect of having near both my pulpit and my 
dwelling, that family whose unfeigned friendliness has 
suffered no fluctuation since I came to Lancaster, and which 
has always been one of my very valued compensations 
for the unpleasantness which has arisen from mis- 
conception and opposition.'' To this subject he frequently 
recurred. "I hope," he says in another note, "to see 
the whole family soon, in their accustomed place in 
the House of God. How long we may be permitted 
to assemble together, is known to him alone, who can 
subdue 'the unruly wills and affections of sinful men.' 
The times are solemn and portentous, and their voice 
is — 'Every Christian to his closet' — and, 'Be ready.'" 
And in a note bearing date the 23rd of August, 
1822, he again anticipates the pleasure of seeing at 
his side his beloved correspondent. "My sanguine 
disposition is again at work: and I venture to picture 
to myself a very dear friend renewing her accustomed 
station, on her return to Lancaster, in the parlour and 
the pew. May the parlour witness renovated health, 
and sweet serenity of soul ; and may the pew bear 
witness to something more than health — yea, to some- 
thing more than serenity. May it witness ' the witnessing 
of the Spirit' — the 'joy unspeakable' — the prelibations 
of that high comfort which flows from 'the Throne of 
God and the Lamb.'" 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN, 



ccxix 



The following extract is from a letter addressed in 
1819 to a brother-minister, whose Bishop had made 
some objection to his mode of administering the elements 
in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 

(e 1 had conversation with Bishop Majendie, when of this 
See, on the subject of administering the bread and wine 
to more than one, while the words were only once used. 
He conceded the point, when the number of communi- 
cants was large; though, if I mistake not, he recommended 
the use of the singular pronoun. But, I apprehend, 
the opinion of any former Bishop could not be pleaded. 
* * I should really say, that when the number was 
large, and only one minister in attendance, the time 
which would be required, and the exhaustion which 
would ensue, if each were addressed separately, seem 
to render it necessary that the words, once used, should 
suffice for at least four or six. Upon this principle, 
I should intimate my opinion that more than one was 
included in the prayer at Confirmation, though the service 
may seem to imply that the prayer should be offered 
up for each." 

Greenfield, August 21, 1819. 

MY DEAR E , 

My attendance at Melling last Saturday forenoon, on 
the funeral of Mrs. Parker, prevented me from sending 
the sermon which was preached on the preceding 
Sunday. I now send three; and if I could send an 
effectual blessing along with them, that blessing would 
certainly be sent. But it is God alone who giveth 
the increase. It is well it is so. If it were otherwise, 
broken cisterns would be idolized, and they would soon 
become conceited, as if they were perennial fountains. 
I love every view of Divine Truth which keeps sinners 
in their proper place of utter insignificance, and which 
exalts the Bedeemer, as the only object of trust, and 



ccxx 



THE LIFE OF 



the only source of grace and peace. Heaven could 
not be heaven, if the creature had whereof to glory. 
It is encouragement enough to find it written — " Ask, 
and it shall be given you." How easy to ask and to 
expect — in theory! How difficult to improve the 
promise — in experienc eand practice ! But though diffi- 
cult, it is attainable. 

My kind respects to your dear family. E r will 

expect something more than mere " respects." I send love 
both to her and to you, and you may settle the pro- 
portion between yourselves. 

I am my dear E 's affectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 

Heaven could not be heaven, if the creature had 
whereof to glory. This sentiment was inwrought into 
his very being. "It is a delightful reflection," he 
says elsewhere, " to all who love the Lord Jesus in 
sincerity, that over every door of the many mansions 
in their Father's house above, there will be written, as 
it were in letters of unfading brightness, this inscrip- 
tion, 'The Free Gift.' Oh then be thankful! 
It becometh you well. It is the temper of heaven; 
it is the work of heaven. Cherish that temper; 
abound in that work. 'Think often,' says the holy 
Baxter, 'how great a mercy it is that thankfulness 
for mercy is made so great a part of duty.'" 

One of the most efficient sources of gratitude, hu- 
mility, and praise, in connexion with the sublime topic 
of salvation by grace, appears to me to be presented 
in the fact of the necessary and eternal perpetuity of 
human guilt. Contradictory as the statement is of the 
literal testimony of the word of God, it is nevertheless 
indisputably true; absolutely there can be no freedom 
from the guilt of sin. Guilt, once incurred, remains 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxxi 



for ever; even the spirits of the just made perfect are 
the spirits of the guilty. It is freedom from the 
penalty and the moral results of the guilt of sin that 
is meant by freedom from the guilt; and all scriptural 
expressions that seem to imply the latter, are to be 
regarded as elliptical, and as designed to convey the 
former sense. A sin once committed can never be 
uncommitted. Punishment may be cancelled, conse- 
quences may be diverted — and, through Jesus, conse- 
quences are diverted, and punishment is cancelled; 
but the sin itself is indelibly graven into eternity, 
and the guilt of the sin will be everlastingly present 
to the mind of God. It is beyond the power even of 
the blood of Christ to erase it. The effects of con- 
founding the distinction between pardon and guiltless- 
ness (and the error is far from being an uncommon 
one) are seen in mitigated impressions of the evil 
of sin, and in disparaging estimates of the undeserved 
freeness of salvation. The immutability of guilt should 
be urgently and unceasingly proclaimed. 

Friday, July 7, 1820. 

MY DEAR E , 

I send you the first fruits of my promise. Whether 
the intended weekly transmissions will afford a harvest 
worth the labour of reaping, I know not. Two things, 
however, I do know : — that the grace of Christ can be 
made perfect in human weakness ; and that the grace, 
if humbly and believingly sought both by writer and 
reader, will be found to be quite "sufficient." Then, he 
who soweth, and she who reapeth, will rejoice together 
in that day when joy will be something better than 
"the crackling of thorns under a pot." 

I cannot send a Lecture, for I have preached none 
since your departure. On Tuesday I read the prayers 



CCXX11 



THE LIFE OF 



in the chapel, and addressed the children for a consider- 
able time. The words in Prov. iv. 1. "Hear, ye 
children, the instruction of a Father," formed the basis 
of my address. I likewise catechized in the evening; 
and the two services furnished either prudence or 
idleness or some other principle which the deceitfulness 
of the heart has prevented me from discovering, with 
an apology for throwing the Lecture on Mr. Gathorne. 

I thank you for your note of last Friday. It was 

kind to inform me concerning E r. * * * * 

She is in wise and merciful, and therefore in safe hands. 
I have no doubt but I should blunder exceedingly if 
my wishes for her complete and robust health were 
fulfilled. Though the event, in all cases, is with him 
who doeth all things well to those who fear and love 
him, yet duty is ours ; and attention to means is certainly 
a duty ; and to those means which are connected with 
the apparent preservation or recovery of health, as well 
as those which are appointed, in the counsels of eternal 
mercy, to lead on to that kingdom where the inhabi- 
tant shall no more say—' I am sick.' After this preamble, 

give my kind love to E r, and tell her that I have a 

threefold and daily claim on her dutiful attention to 
the few plain directions which I gave her: — namely, 
that I am her physician, though I fear a very shallow 
one; that I am her minister, though I more than fear 
a very unworthy one ;• and that I am her friend, and 
certainly a very sincere one. She cannot, and she will 
not, break through this mass of obligation to take care 
of her health. I hope, before the lapse of any very 
long time, to send her a note of inquiry and of counsel. 

Farewell, my very dear children: "Grow in grace 
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ" The right management of the latter direction, 
leads, invariably leads, to the blessedness suggested by 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxxiii 



the former. In all reading, and meditation, and prayer, 
bend the main effort of the mind to the attainment of 
clearer and stronger discoveries of the Saviour's glory, 
redemption, and love. Upon this, christian experience, 
and holiness, and comfort, essentially depend. How 
read we 4 ? "Till we all come, in the unity of the 
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, 
unto a perfect man; unto the measure of the stature 
of the fulness of Christ." How vast the enjoyment, 
and how plain the way! 

I cannot at present fix the time for spending a few 
hours at Silverdale. I fear that it will not be within 
the present month. We have long been under an 
engagement to pay a visit to Mr. Gell at Windermere ; 
and thither, I believe, I must first bend my steps. 
But if nothing unforeseen should occur, the sweet 
seclusion, and the simple but beautiful scenery, and, 
above all, the many kind friends, of Silverdale, will 
not and cannot remain unvisited many weeks. 

Affectionately and ever yours 

EOBERT HOUSMAN. 

Tuesday Evening, July 12, 1820. 

MY DEAR E R, 

R ' s return to Silverdale to-morrow presents 

me with an earlier opportunity then I otherwise might 
have had, of sending you last Sunday's sermon. To 
this sermon (not to its execution, but to its subject J I 
would call your very particular and daily attention. 
Before the Ark of incomprehensible mercy — if the eye 
of faith be in any measure able to pierce through the 
covering — unbelief, and self, and sin, will always fall 
down. Ah ! why are we ever so weak and so wicked as 
to clothe the Lord in the garments of vengeance, if we 
are sincerely desirous to find happiness in the light of 



ccxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



his countenance Why are we so iveak P — for under 
such views, peace, and holiness, and comfort, are utterly 
unattainable. And why are we so wicked P — for we 
are robbing God of that lovely attribute in which he 
is said to delight ; and we are robbing him of that 
ascription of glory and praise which should always be 
ascending from our lips and our souls. In all your 
thinking, and reading, and praying, endeavour, my dear 
child, to set the Lord before you, just as the scriptures 
set him before you, as "The Lord, the Lord God, 
merciful and gracious." View the stupendous love, as 
manifested in and through Jesus Christ ; and there will 
be blessed times when humiliation, and confidence, 
and admiration, and gratitude, will have a conflict 
within you, which shall be the uppermost and strongest 
in your soul. 

We have had a Visitation indeed! Our poor Hymn 
Book trembles for its existence. I shall write to-mor- 
row to the Bishop, to explain, and petition, and conciliate 
if I am able. The book, and they who sincerely and 
feelingly use it, are in safe hands. If we are deprived 
of our accustomed comfort in this way, we must look 
for a double blessing on the other means of grace. 
No power but the power of the Eternal can keep 
Christ out of our hearts, if we unfeignedly desire the 
presence; and that power is the handmaid of eternal 
mercy to give Him the throne within. 

I hope to hear both from E and you soon. 

Tell me, my dear E r, what is the state of your 

health. Are you stationary, or better, or worse; and 
if worse, in what respects % % * * 

Mrs. Housman spoke to your class on Sunday after- 
noon, on the solemnity of that covenanting with the 
Lord which they were to engage in on the following 
day; and some of them were in tears. I consider our 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CCXXV 



Sunday School as the nursery of the Church of Christ 

in this town; and you and my dear E are 

among those whom the Lord of the Vineyard has 
selected and honoured to become the planters. 

I saw your Mr. B at the Visitation. Poor man ! 

The earthly tabernacle seems to be feeble and tottering ; 
but the more feeble and the more tottering the better, 
if the immortal tenant within be fitted for a station in 
the Temple above. Ah, what a Temple ! And what 
a (e light to lighten it!" And what a price did the Re- 
deemer pay, that we might be admitted ! 

If Mr. B should come again to Lancaster, pray 

give him a note of introduction to me. Kind respects 
and kind love, according as each will be welcome, to the 
inhabitants of your peaceful and interesting cottage. 

I am, my dear E r, your truly affectionate 

friend 

Robert Housman. 

The Sunday School mentioned with such excusable 
partiality in this letter, was founded in the year 1812, 
and has continued ever since that time under the 
judicious and vigilant superintendence of Mr. Wane. 
" Conducted as it was," says Mr. Statter, "and indeed 
as in a great measure it is still, by those to whom 
Mr. Housman's ministry had been blessed, it has truly 
been a nursery of souls. Many have learnt in it those 
lessons of heavenly wisdom which have led them ho- 
nourably and respectably through life, been their support 
in death, and their guide to a happy and rejoicing 
eternity." 

In the following year Mr. Housman again mentions 
the Sunday School of St. Anne's. 

"A Sunday School, conducted as I believe St. Anne's 
to be, in simple dependence upon the care and bles- 

e e 



ccxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



sing of Almighty God, and teaching, as that school 
most assuredly does, the pure principles of the Gospel 
of Christ, is indeed a wonderful institution. It unites, 
in its humble measure, the holy excellences of the 
three grand Societies which are a glory and a mercy 
to this country and to the world. It is a Religious 
Tract Society ; a Bible Society ; and a Missionary 
Society. In this latter capacity, the influence of 
Sunday Schools is incalculable. It will be found, I 
feel persuaded, in that great day when all causes and 
consequences are unfolded, that thousands upon thou- 
sands who have given to their children a natural life, 
have received, through the instrumentality of those very 
children, who have gone forth from Sunday Schools as 
heralds of salvation, a spiritual life, even life eternal." 

When he reaches the concluding pages of this me- 
moir, the reader will find how sweetly the idea of 
God's boundless mercy and ineffable love, so beautifully 
enforced near the commencement of the last letter, 
mingled with Mr. Housman's dying thoughts. This 
idea, which maintained throughout the whole of his 
ministerial life a prominent position in his mind, sup- 
plied, towards the close of his existence, the engrossing 
theme of his contemplation and his praise. Among 
the credenda of his intellect it held the same place and 
rank which it had ever held; among the credenda of 
his heart it became pre-eminent. Its spiritual impression 
was deepened by experience. His mere opinions un- 
derwent no change ; the moral effects of those opinions, 
ripened by meditation, and matured by time, were 
changing from day to day. The nearer he approached 
the light of eternal realities, the more entirely he re- 
alized that exquisite and comforting scripture, " In him 
is no darkness at all." The glory of God in the face 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxxvii 



of Jesus, shone forth without a shadow to mar its bright- 
ness. And it was thus too with his beloved partner. 
From an admirable letter addressed to her youngest 
daughter on the occasion of her marriage, I take the fol- 
lowing passage; — being apposite to the subject of these 
remarks, no apology for introducing it here is needed. 

"I do not wonder," she observes, ff to find that on 
a retrospective view, you feared that you had been 
deficient in duty as a child. To such frail mortals as 
we are, retrospection must ever give pain, unless the 
mind be in so dark a state as not to perceive the 
extent of divine requirements. But really, my child, 
I have no charge to bring against you. The beam is 
so large in my own eye, that I cannot see the mote 
in yours ; and I have a melancholy long list of accusa- 
tions to bring against myself. I have been awfully guilty 
in omissions, if not in commissions. I have not been 
instant in season and out of season, in instructing, and 
exhorting, and pointing out to my children the good and 
the right way. I cannot bring against myself an accusa- 
tion for not feeling for their best interest ; for God 
only knows how near this lies to my heart; — but I 
do desire to humble myself before the Searcher of it, 
that effort and feeling have not much more frequently 
gone hand in hand. I have often pleaded for them 
before God, and then had not a word to say for God 
when present with them. The sinful past, in this res- 
pect as well as in every other, must be cast into that 
ocean of mercy which is ever flowing to wash away 
the guilt of sin. I believe, if I could collect in one 
mass the whole of the sins of my sinful life, and throw 
them as it were into that ocean, they would no more be 
discovered than would the drop of ink which is now in my 
pen, if cast into the ocean which surrounds us. Never 
suffer your mind, my dear child, to dwell on any 



ccxxvm 



THE LIFE OF 



peradventure that there is an infinite freeness in the 
offer of divine forgiveness. I have lamented, through 
my whole life, that my mind received an early impres- 
sion that God was more ready to avenge than to 
forgive; that mercy was an attribute which he put 
forth with a sort of unwillingness ; and that he must 
be intreated, and importuned, and persuaded (if I may 
use the expression) to shew mercy — whereas it is his 
delight to do so. He willeth not the death of sinners, 
but condescends to expostulate, and says — ' Why will 
ye die'?' Cultivate these views daily, and your religion 
will make you cheerful and happy." 

In the memorable discussion which took place at 
Bristol between the Calvinistic and the Arminian 
Methodists, Mr. Adams (Mrs. Housman's father) had 
sided with the former ; and his daughter was accordingly 
brought up in a profession of the leading peculiarities 
of the party to which her excellent parent belonged. 
Many of these peculiarities she lived to deplore and to 
renounce. In a letter to one of her most confidential 
friends I find a passage of equal interest and importance. 
The salutary change of which she speaks was effected 
through the instrumentality of some of Erskine's Tracts, 
the diligent and repeated perusal of which is frequently 
noted in her correspondence as distinguishing an era in 
her religious experience. Having stated that her hitherto 
limited views of the extent of Christ's redeeming work 
had been attended by but partial glimpses of the hope 
and spiritual comfort so graciously promised to a. believing 
contemplation of "the adorable mystery," she proceeds 
as follows. 

"I have ever been looking too much to myself to 
find something, not to recommend but to warrant me 
in concluding that I was personally interested in the 
great work of redemption, which from my youth I have 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxxix 



been led to consider as obtained for only a certain 
portion of our ruined race, or, in calvinistic phraseology, 
for 'The Elect.' Having this very limited impression 
fastened on my heart, like a nail in a sure place, I 
have always been striving to ascertain whether I pos- 
sessed evidences which might justify an assurance that 
my name was 'written in the Book of Life:' and ever 
finding wrong doings and short comings, negligences 
and ignorances, omissions and commissions, to abound, 
I have seldom been able to get beyond a 'perhaps I 
may be saved.' These narrow notions of the boundless 
love of God, have, alas, tended lamentably to alienate 
my heart from him; for so long as it remains doubtful 
whether God is a friend or an enemy, there can be 
nothing beyond a slavish fear of wrath prevailing in 
the mind. The Tract on 'Purification of conscience 
through faith' has proved particularly useful to me in 
throwing light on this important subject. It appears 
to me that if there is one sin more grievous than 
another, it is the doubting God's veracity ; which seems 
to be implied at least when his love is circumscribed 
within narrower limits than the whole world. I have 
sometimes heard good people say that they have felt 
a peculiar degree of love to God from a conviction 
that they had been selected out of a lost world, and 
that in an especial way the Saviour died for them, 
leaving others under the ruinous effects of The Fall. 
This theory, I confess, has no such effect upon me; for 
though I might be personally included in the selection 
— the divine compassion, thus partially exhibited, could 
not fail to be disparaged in my estimation. The parent 
who selects one child on whom to lavish all his affec- 
tions and bestow all his favours, while the rest of his 
offspring are left unnoticed, unprotected, and unprovided 
for, cannot appear in an amiable or endearing light — 



ccxxx 



THE LIFE OF 



and God is our Father. Never does my heart dilate 
with such grateful love to the Saviour, as when I see 
his grace reigning to the extent of the misery entailed 
on our race by Adam's transgression. There is, how- 
ever, a wide difference between the offer of pardon 
being unfettered with conditions, and the offers of comfort. 
Pardon is offered to every one who will take it, and 
all may take it if they please ; consolation and promises 
are offered only to certain characters." 

To the same subject she thus alludes in a letter to 
her son the Rev. Thomas Housman, at that time cu- 
rate of Kinfare in Staffordshire. The commencement 
of the extract has reference to the disastrous ravages 
of the Asiatic Cholera in 1832. 

"There is a peculiarly solemn voice in this provi- 
dence, both to people and to ministers ; to people, that 
they examine minutely on what and where their hopes 
are resting for another and a better world ; to ministers, 
that they faithfully and boldly sound an alarm of ap- 
proaching danger. Before the Pestilence which has 
already destroyed its thousands, how many additional 
thousands may stand ready marshalled ! A serious 
regard to the injunction, 'Give diligence to make your 
calling and election sure,' was never more requisite 
than at the present moment. It would rejoice my 
heart to hear that the Lord is using you, my dear 
Tom, as an instrument for good in Kinfare. The 
promise, you will remember, is, 'My word shall not 
return unto me void.' If the pure Gospel be preached, 
sinners, in greater or lesser numbers, will be turned 
from the error of their ways; but it is 'My word' 
that must effect this glorious issue. The pure Gospel 
is a very simple message ; and the less there is of mans 
admixture, the stronger will be its power to destroy 
the works of the devil, to restore an alienated heart to 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCXXxi 



its rightful sovereign, and so to purity a corrupt heart 
as to make it a fit temple for the residence of the good 
Spirit of God. It has latterly been forcibly impressed 
on my rnind, that the universality of redemption, for 
such I believe it to be, is either not sufficiently under- 
stood, or not sufficiently insisted on, by what are 
termed e gospel ministers.' The Gospel is too much 
fettered with conditions, and limited as to the extent 
of the benefits which it offers. There is a pardon 
ready for every one ivho ivill accept of it; it is at 
every man's door, and is within the reach of all. 
Early impressions, unhappily different from these, I 
have found very tenacious, but I trust my views are 
now set right on a point so obviously important: — if 
still in error, I pray God that he will guide me into 
the truth. Preach Christ, my dear Tom, fearlessly; 
exhibit the Gospel offers of forgiveness free as the 
light; let your whole parish hear the glad tidings of 
great joy which are brought, through and by Christ, 
to every creature under heaven ; and I think, nay am 
sure, that all will not turn a deaf ear to your report. 
One here, and one there — it may be, many here and 
many there — will be saying, in the gladness of their 
hearts — "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable 

gift.- 

But to neither Mr. nor Mrs. Housman, incomprehen- 
sibly vast as the mercy of the Deity appeared to 
them, was it what Wesley calls ff an unwieldy idea," 
swallowing up his justice, his wisdom, and his truth. 
They had contemplated the divine character too long 
and too scriptnrally to find any satisfaction or repose 
in that vain but attractive notion of an indulgent pliancy 
of nature, " which forms at once the refuge and the 
delusion of a meagre and sentimental piety." They 
were incapable of honouring one of the perfections of 



CCXXX11 



THE LIFE OF 



the Godhead, at the expense of the others. God is 
an infinite Being, possessed of infinite attributes; all 
are consequently of equal proportion and of equal 
power. His justice is as glorious as his mercy; nay, 
it is upon the unmoveable foundations of eternal justice, 
that our hopes and expectations of eternal mercy must 
be built. To the danger of entertaining exaggerated and 
misdirected impressions of the leniency of the divine 
administration, Mr. Housman was sensitively alive; 
and against this danger, so popular and so pernicious, 
lie has on many occasions lifted up a voice of stre- 
nuous expostulation. " ' God is merciful ' (he says in 
one of his discourses) "is the language of multitudes 
who are on the brink of ruin. It is, in their lips, 
the language of ignorance, unbelief, and presumption. 
It is the opiate which stupifies their consciences, whilst 
they are living in folly, worldliness, and 1 sin. That 
God is merciful, far beyond the reach of all expression 
and of all thought, is an eternal truth : but it is equally 
true, that 'the Lord is known by the judgment which 
he executeth.' Though merciful, he 'spared not the 
angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell.' 
Though merciful, he turned the cities of Sodom and 
Gomorrah into ashes, 'making them an ensample unto 
those that after should live ungodly.' Though merci- 
ful, he has scattered Israel, his favoured and chosen 
people, and made them 'to be a proverb and a by-word 
among all nations;' and even their 'holy and beautiful 
house,' where his glory was manifested, and of which 
he had said, ' In this place will I give peace,' is ' burnt 
up with fire.' Though merciful, he has ordained that 
the earth, for the sin of man, shall be little more than 
one extended scene of disappointment, mourning, and 
death. Though merciful, he has assured us that the 
wicked 'shall go away into everlasting punishment:' yea, 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CCXXxiii 

that 'all the people that forget God, shall be involved 
in the terrible ruin." And in a manuscript which 
lies before ine, ''Let us clear our minds/' he says, "of 
the unfounded and mischievous notion that the Lord is 
a God all mercy. Ask the records of the Bible; ask 
a groaning world ; ask the horrors of many a death-bed ; 
ask — but you cannot ask — the millions who have died 
in sin. They would answer, with a voice louder than 
a thousand thunders, that the suggestion cometh from 
the Father of lies; that it is one of his most ruin- 
ous devices; that it is one of his most powerful 
engines of destruction. Be not deceived. You have 
sinned, and sinned grievously, against the Lord your 
God; and if you have not received true repentance, 
and obtained forgiveness of your transgressions, the 
justice of that God is at this moment committed against 
your peace, and his wrath abideth on you. Oh ! awake 
out of slumber! Arise — escape! Flee instantly, and 
flee fast." But whither 4 ? To the God who has con- 
demned"? To the pure, and perfect, and inflexible 
Sovereign, whose government we have despised, whose 
authority we have insulted*? Yes: — to this God, as 
he is manifested in Jesus Christ. God out of Christ 
is a jealous God, and a consuming fire; God in Christ 
is the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolations. 
God out of Christ is terrible in majesty, for he is 
shrouded in the disquieting sacredness of a broken and 
uncompromising law ; God in Christ is tenderness and 
love, for he has magnified the law and made it honour- 
able, he has scattered pardons like light, and has 
generously thrown open a way of access to the unutterable 
happiness of an endless existence. To look at God 
out of Christ, is to fear, and tremble, and die; to look 
at God in Christ, is to hope, and praise, and live. 
God out of Christ is eternally against us; God in 

f f 



ccxxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



Christ is eternally with us and for us — our refuge, our 
stronghold, our satisfying portion. God in Christ is 
to sinners precisely what God out of Christ is to 
intelligences that have never sinned. What can be 
grander, what more sustaining, what more encouraging 
and full v of glory, than the mighty and the blessed 
truth which that one word Immanuel enshrines'? 
Well may we exclaim, taking up one of Mr. Housman's 
favourite ejaculations, "Oh! the mystery and the mercy 
of God in Christ!" "It will require the light of 
eternity," he has said,' " and the enlarged powers of the 
soul in eternity, and the experience of a glorified 
eternity, even to lisp the praises of the grace of God." 
And in reference to the work of Jesus, these are his 
admiring words. "What an undertaking! Every 
movement from the Throne to the Cross, and from the 
Cross back again to the Throne, was a movement of 
grace — a movement of pure and marvellous mercy — of 
grace and mercy which will be felt and sung by adoring 
millions in the ages of eternity." 

The following passage, on the subject of religious 
conversation, belongs to this period. 

"I would give you a caution and a direction. Be 
constantly on your guard against mentioning divine 
things in a cold and formal way, or in an unfeeling 
and flippant manner. The former is unsuitable; 
the latter is disgusting. There is an awful sanctity 
in whatever relates to the great God, and to the mo- 
mentous eternity before us, which should give to your 
conversation on such subjects a deep solemnity. It is 
said — I think of the great Judge Hale — that before he 
would mention the word e God,' he made a pause : and 
the holy Leighton, you know, records, that the Jews 
forebore to tread upon the smallest piece of paper in 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCXXXV 



their way, since possibly the sacred name might be 
upon it. We may learn much from these instances of 
perhaps needless scrupulosity. 

"The direction I would give you is this. Let the 
subjects of your christian conversation be well chosen. 
And what are those subjects ? Your first and leading 
subject cannot be mistaken. e They shall sing in the ways 
of the Lord, that great is the glory of the Lord.' And 
what can you say of the Lord 4 ? You can say — that 
he is a God of bounty; a God of patience; a God of 
mercy; a redeeming God; a God of faithfulness: a 
God of love. What endless subjects for meditation 
and for conversation! Oh speak of him often, and his 
name will be to you as ointment poured forth." 

The subjoined remarks, on the word of God, written 
in a kindred spirit, and nearly at the same time, are 
worthy of preservation. 

"Casting away the fear of being accounted supersti- 
tious, cultivate the habit of looking at a Bible with 
respect and reverence. Open it with a kind of solemn 
pleasure; for God is there, in all his greatness, and 
holiness, and love. Read it with thankfulness — for it 
is a grant to you under the hand of God, and it is 
sealed to you by the blood of Christ; and the grant 
secures to you, if you be a humble believer, forgiveness, 
and sanctification, and victory, and heaven . It secures 
to you 'all things,' for 'you are Christ's, and Christ is 
God's.' When good old Bishop Latimer was led to 
the stake, he took the Bible with him. He clung to 
it with holy affection. It had pointed out to him a 
Saviour; it had taught him how to live with comfort; 
it was now to teach him how to die in triumph. 
There is scarcely a page in the Bible which does not 
shew more of God than all the wonders of Creation. 

"It is difficult, and perhaps impossible, to determine 



ccxxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



which is the most interesting and important part of 
this most wonderful book. Every part becomes inter- 
esting and important when the mind is enlightened 
and the heart softened by the Spirit to perceive and to feel 
it. But still, some parts seem to have a weight and 
excellence peculiar to themselves. The history written 
by Moses, for instance, is a history of the Church of 
God in its infancy. The types and ceremonies under 
the law were shadows of good things to come. They 
pointed, as with a finger, and said (f Behold the Lamb 
of God!" The Prophecies present before us grand views 
of the nature, the extent, and the glory, of the king- 
dom of our Immanuel. The Psalms are filled with 
the mournful and the joyful experience of a believer in 
Jesus. The Gospels detail the merciful life and the 
still more merciful death of our Redeemer. The 
Epistles abound with grand doctrines and with holy 
commands ; with doctrines which seem to be always en- 
forcing that large and noble duty, ' Whether ye eat or 
drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' 
But that portion of the Scriptures which we call 'The 
Acts of the Apostles' seems to combine within itself 
more diversified instruction than is to be found in any 
other detached part of the Bible. It is a history of 
the rise and progress of the Church of Christ, after his 
ascension to glory. It affords many a painful proof of 
the desperate wickedness of the unrenewed heart ; many 
a shining evidence of the mercy of the exalted Saviour; 
and many an instance of the glorious effects of receiv- 
ing the grace of God in truth. Some of the most 
delightful passages in this most valuable history are those 
which describe the intimate and affectionate communion 
that subsisted among the early disciples and followers 
of the Lord Jesus. To these I would particularly 
direct you. See how they loved each other ; and pray 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxxxvii 



to God, in the name of him who is your Master as 
well as theirs, that alike temper maybe wrought in you." 

For upwards of half a century Mr. Housman had 
been in the daily habit of selecting short portions of 
Scripture, generally single texts, for especial meditation; 
and having found the practice to be abundantly profit- 
able to himself, he was accustomed to recommend it, 
with considerable emphasis, as a means of promoting 
holiness in others. Besides giving a Ml and ready 
acquaintance with the letter of Holy Writ (and this is 
a great thing) it conduces most importantly to a per- 
sonal familiarity with the spirit. The heart and mind 
cannot, day after day and year after year, be inhaling 
the atmosphere of eternal truth, without yielding in 
some measure to the transforming influences of the 
blessed principle which pervades and animates it. The 
word of Christ is sure to dwell richly in us, if we 
dwell faithfully upon the word of Christ. "Be often 
in the Scriptures," Mr. Housman used to say, "and 
you will be mighty in them." 

From a letter to another correspondent, written in 
the March of the same year, the following passage is 
taken. 

"Sickness is a merciful dispensation if it lead to 
thoughts of that better country where sickness never comes. 
Be much in meditation on the happiness of the dead who 
die in the Lord. It is a fit subject for the living. To 
see Jesus, the incarnate Love of God, face to 
face : to behold his pure and wondrous benevolence, in 
its varied forms and in its vast effects; and to be re- 
ceiving from the ever-flowing fountain of goodness, all 
the fulness of joy — this is Heaven. And is not such 
a heaven worthy of a struggle*? Oh! let us press 
forward ; our labour will not be in vain. Think of 



ccxxxvm 



THE LIFE OF 



the recompense of the reward. In possession — the peace 
of Grod which passeth all understanding ; in prospect — 
the rest which remaineth; the glory to be revealed; 
the cup which runneth over. Dwell upon these 
remarkable ideas ; compare them with the disturbed 
and unsatisfying enjoyments of the world which now 
is; pray that you may compare them honestly and 
fairly ; and the blessedness they represent will be made 
manifest with power." 

The next extract, from a letter written in 1820, 
contains an important and needful direction. 

"Let me caution you, in reviewing your past life, 
against falling into what I cannot but fear is a very 
common error. Do not speak of it as worse than you 
feel it to have been. You may be saying nothing 
more than the truth, in relation to your life; but you 
are going greatly and sadly beyond the truth, in respect 
of your convictions. This error will be avoided if you 
pray resolutely and perseveringly for the revealing light 
of the Holy Spirit. Pray to see sin as it is; and 
yourself as you were and are. Be constantly praying 
for the twin-graces of sincerity and humility." 

The progress and character of true belief are beauti- 
fully described in the following extract. 1 have met 
with precisely the same passage in one of his manuscript 
sermons, to which it was probably transferred from the 
letter which supplies this quotation. 

" Believing on the Son of God is always preceded by 
a feeling of necessity, by a conviction of sin, by a 
sense of guiltiness in the Lord's sight, by an experience 
of depravity, and of a want of power to new-create the 
soul. It is accompanied by a persuasion of the suffici- 
ency of the Redeemer's work to procure mercy and 
grace, of his ability to save unto the uttermost, of his 
exceeding compassion and loving-kindness to all who 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxxxix 



seek him, and of his never-failing faithfulness to his 
promise that he will cast out none who come. And 
it is crowned by the prayer and application of the 
heart to Jesus, by a real resting upon the Kock of 
Ages, and by an actual committing of the immortal 
soul, with all its vast and everlasting interests, to the 
redemption, and mercy, and keeping of the blessed 
Jesus. f I know,' says the Apostle, 'whom I have 
believed, and that he is able to keep that which I have 
committed unto him against that day.' This is believ- 
ing with the heart unto righteousness. This is receiving 
the Saviour's Atonement with a humble and thankful 
spirit; this is giving glory to God, for his salvation of 
love and grace." 

A letter to a brother-minister, dated July 1820, 
supplies the annexed passage. 

"I have seen, within a few days, a most astonishing 
triumph of grace. One of my good people had abun- 
dant evidence of the infidelity of her husband, in the 
grosser sense of infidelity. At the moment she was 
nearly overwhelmed. Her sleep departed, and her nerves 
were sadly unstrung. But she knew where to apply. 
She has enjoyed religion for years, and has been a 
burning and a shining light. But the consolations 
which she has received from God within the last 
three days, seem so to leave behind all her former experi- 
ence of his mercy, as if it had only been "the hearing 
of the ear.' Her meekness towards her husband, and 
her concern for his soul, have been astonishing. They 
have won upon him; he has frankly acknowledged 
his persevering baseness, and he has begun to pray; 
and she is this day rejoicing in a trembling hope that 
they shall travel together in the narrow path. Her 
countenance indeed shines as if it were the face of an 
angel. Let us love, and sing, and wonder." 



ccxl 



THE LIFE OF 



To another friend he says; 

"Be much in prayer for the continued presence of God. 
' If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up 
hence;' we can do nothing without it. The presence 
of God is the happiness of glorified spirits in heaven; 
the presence of God is the happiness of redeemed sin- 
ners on the earth. The presence of God is to the 
soul what the breath of life is to the body. Where 
God is not, there is death. Oh! how different, when 
the Lord lifts up the light of his countenance upon his 
servants! Poverty and pain are then annihilated. 
Innumerable instances exemplifying the truth of this 
remark, have come within my own experience. I will 
mention two. Five or six years ago I saw a person 
almost convulsed with seeming agony of body ; yet a 
few days afterwards she assured me that such had been 
the overpowering influence of her holy and triumphant 
joy in the Redeemer of her soul, that during the strug- 
gle she had actually felt no pain whatever. This cir- 
cumstance reminded me of what one of the martyrs 
said, while burning in the flames. 'You call for a 
miracle/ (he thus spoke to those around him) f behold 
one. I feel no more, while perishing in this fire, than 
if I were lying on a bed of roses.' The promise was 
fulfilled — 'As was his day, so was his strength.' * * 
The other instance illustrates the nothingness of poverty, 
when contrasted with the presence of the Lord Almighty. 
I had an aged christian in the congregation to which 
I preached before I came to Lancaster. He was so 
poor that bread and water was the only food he could 
obtain. But great grace was upon him. He always 
attended in the House of God neat and clean. His 
enjoyment in public worship was frequently, I am per- 
suaded, little less than rapture; and if the goodness of 
God was mentioned, the flame of devout thankfulness 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxli 



lighted up his fine countenance, and the tears of grate- 
ful joy trickled down his cheeks. He had the presence 
of God; and with his poor bread and water, he found 
that he had enough. He was rich in precious faith; 
he was rich in the unsearchable riches of Christ." 

In the summer of 1820, Mr. Housman, accompanied 
by his youngest daughter and two affectionate members 
of the congregation of St. Anne's, paid a short visit to 
the Lakes. The following passage in a letter to the 
Eev. W. C. Wilson, written just before they set off 
on the excursion, and substantially repeated elsewhere, 
shows how entirely the subject of redeeming grace pos- 
sessed his soul. "We propose," says he, "to leave 
Lancaster about next Friday, and to be at Winster on 
the Sunday. I don't like journeying; it has a tendency 
to divert the mind from the contemplation of the ' great 
sight' — 'the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' 
I am well satisfied, from some little experience, that a 
glimpse of this Great Object can do what nothing else can 
do — namely, call into exercise at the same time, humilia- 
tion and confidence ; determination against sin and the 
world; and determination for happiness, in the enjoy- 
ment of the knowledge and presence of the Lord." 
He was delighted with the journey. Cessation from 
labour recruited his health, without disturbing, as he had 
feared, the serenity of his thoughts: and the exquisite 
scenery through which he had passed, furnished him 
with many happy and beautiful associations, and with 
abundant themes of gratitude and praise. Of all the 
lovely spots they visited, Grasmere interested him most 
deeply. The undisturbed and solemn quiet of that 
sweet valley, harmonized with the profound tranquillity 
of his own heart. 

g g 



ccxlii 



THE LIFE OF 



I need scarcely apprize the reader that Mr. Housman 
was a devout admirer of the works of Creation. Nature, 
no less than revelation, is the mind of God — and he 
felt it to be so. He saw God in all things, and 
Christ in God. The way in which, during a confi- 
dential walk, he would occasionally illustrate the objects 
about riim by references to the language of sacred writ, 
and, on the other hand, illustrate the language of 
Scripture by casual and graceful references to the mute 
but eloquent appearances of the earth and sky, is familiar 
to those who have rambled with him in the neighbour- 
hood of his native town. I wish I could depend upon 
myself to record the particulars of his remarks one 
autumn evening in the year 1836, as we walked together 
near the stone-quarries on the south of Greenfield. It 
was sunset; and the magnificent group of hills which 
confer so especial a charm upon the district of the 
English Lakes, lay bathed in the richest light and 
shade before us. Having stood for some time watching 
the exquisite scene, Mr. Housman turned suddenly 
round, and exclaimed — "How affecting, in connexion 
with a view like this, is the noble expression of the 
Apostle to the Hebrews — ' upholding all things hy the 
word of his poiver /' What a demand it makes upon 
our gratitude and our trust !" — and then, by an easy 
transition, passing from the glory of Christ as the 
sustainer of the visible universe (for it was thus he 
understood the text) to his incomparably superior glory 
as the author and finisher of our inestimable faith, he 
proceeded, in his own peculiarly persuasive manner, to 
enlarge upon the stupendous work of redemption, and 
the endearing labours of the Redeemer. " In Creation," 
he said, "we see the goodness of God — in Redemption 
his grace; in Creation we behold the reality of his 
loving-kindness — in Redemption, its degree. Redemption, 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxliii 



you know, has been called 'Creation more sublime.' 
And indeed, what are all the prospects in the world, 
when compared with the prospect of Mount Calvary 
and a dying Saviour % It is the sight of sights ! The 
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!" "Yes," 
he added, after a short pause — "in the face of the 
dying Jesus. Here is the mystery of the condescension 
and the love!" 

"Looking unto Jesus," as an atoning sacrifice for 
sin, may be said to have formed the employment of 
Mr. Housman's life; to have constituted the pleasant and 
profitable business of his existence. To the "sight of 
sights" his eyes were perpetually turned ; and as men's 
characters are influenced -by their habitual impressions 
or prevalent objects of thought and feeling, the glory 
and the grace of this object, so full of loveliness, so 
full of wonder, operated, in a more than ordinary measure, 
upon his. It did great things for him ; it did unspeak- 
ably great things for him ; it told upon his being like 
a magnet. Never perhaps were the practical results 
of the doctrine of the Atonement more unquestionably 
or more attractively evidenced. His purest and sweetest 
acts of adoration sprang from the predominant sense of 
the immensity of the good-will of God, as exhibited in 
the work of the crucified Saviour. The Cross of 
Christ, ever radiant with the light of the divine attri- 
butes, harmoniously concentrated into the expression of 
this sublime and penetrating truth — and possessed, as it 
were, of all the positiveness and reality of a palpable 
substance — was constantly before him. No darkness, 
however thick, obscured for a moment that precious symbol 
of the divine kindness ; no glare of external fascinations, 
however splendid, could outshine it. Like the guiding 
and cheering pillar of the Israelites, it was with him by- 
night and by day. His affections, thus brought into 



ccxliv 



THE LIFE OF 



continual contact with the impressive moral power of the 
transaction of Calvary, were continually exercised in a 
way of love; and love is at once the source and the 
end, the root and the flower, the only right principle 
and the only right developement, of christian virtue 
and spiritual excellence. The death of Christ, viewed 
as the grandest manifestation of the gracious and 
forgiving and inexhaustible tenderness of the Father, 
as the ground of all the invitations addressed to sinners, 
and all the promises made to believers, having won 
its way to his heart, and having secured the heart thus 
reached, in the bonds of an affectionate and abiding 
gratitude, spoke peace to every accusation of conscience, 
gave firmness and victory in every temptation, and 
stimulated the conduct, by means of purified desires 
and purifying hopes, to a course of consistent and 
beautiful holiness. It made him holy, by first making 
him happy ; and this is the established method of its 
working. It supplied wisdom and righteousness and 
sanctification, as well as pardon ; the invigorating ele- 
ments of godly action, as well as the,' foundation of 
confidence and comfort ; deliverance from the supremacy 
of sin, as well as exemption from its curse. The 
priestly office of Christ, which compassed a restoration 
of the image of God no less than a restoration to his 
favour, had its whole effect upon his nature. No 
marvel then that the Cross should have been the sub- 
ject of his contemplation and chiefest rejoicing ; the 
theme on which he most delighted to dwell and to 
expatiate. How could he do otherwise than magnify 
the mysterious decease which it represents and com- 
memorates *? That decease — on the one hand ratify- 
ing and substantiating the prophetical office of the 
divine sufferer, and, on the other, admitting him to 
the full inheritance of his kingly authority — was felt to 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxlv 



be the very key-stone which knits together the stupen- 
dous past and future of Redemption; was felt to be, 
in relation to the spiritual system of which the oracles 
of God are the record, precisely what the common 
centre round which the several systems of the universe 
revolve, is, in respect of the material creation — the 
inmost abode of the vast law of gravitation, by the 
agency of which the order of all subservient parts, and 
of the whole, is perpetually and immutably sustained. 

The following passages are extracted from unpub- 
lished manuscripts. They forcibly indicate, in confir- 
mation of what has been said, both in the last para- 
graph and in previous pages of this memoir, that Mr. 
Housman, in dwelling upon the mediatory or foundation- 
principles of the christian dispensation, was far from 
falling into the error of neglecting those which are 
ultimate or superstructural. They shew, on the con- 
trary, how completely, to his mind, the one implied 
and comprehended the other; how inseparably recon- 
ciliation through the death of Jesus, connected itself 
with sanctification through the glorified life of Jesus. 

The first of them is taken from a sacramental dis- 
course, preached at St. Anne's in the year 1826. 

"The time when the cup of blessing was appointed, 
and the momentous circumstances which attended it, 
should be had in everlasting remembrance. It was 
given on the night of the Saviour's betrayal. He had 
said, in the full view of the shame of the Cross, 
' Father, the hour is come ' — and the hour was pressing 
hard upon him. And what an hour! — and what a 
bearing it had upon the immortal interests of man! 
It was an hour, marked by circumstances of a very 
opposite kind. It was an hour of darkness. Over 
all the land there was an awful gloom; and the black 



ccxlvi 



THE LIFE OF 



purposes of the powers of hell might seem to be ac- 
complished. It was an hour of sorrow. The holy 
humanity of Jesus was enduring the agony of the Cross, 
and the hearts of his faithful few were pierced with 
misery. It was an hour of death, and of a death 
most strange; for the Lord of Glory bowed his head 
in weakness, and the Prince of Life gave up the ghost. 
It was likewise an hour of triumph. The contest 
between the Son of God and the great Enemy of God 
was now determined. The Serpent's head was bruised. 
He fell, like lightning from heaven ; and provision was 
made for the deliverance of all his captives, who, to 
the end of the world, should receive the great salvation. 
And it was an hour of life. The Spirit of life was 
then purchased by the Saviour's obedience unto death, 
to quicken the dead in sin, to visit and to bless be- 
lievers with the life of God in the soul, and to bestow 
upon them the precious gift of happiness eternal. It 
was an hour in which shadows were turned into sub- 
stance, and the mysterious intimations of the past were 
realized and made manifest. Surely an hour like this 
— full of a subject planned from everlasting, the wonder 
of angels, the joy and the song of the approaching 
eternity — should fix our thoughts, and fix our hearts, 
and give a bias to every movement of our being ! Oh 
that our meditations were always crowding around the 
Cross of Calvary !" 

The next — scarcely, if at all, less beautiful — is even 
more explicit. 

"The great subject of the Gospel, is Jesus; Jesus, 
the eternal Son, found in fashion as a man; Jesus, 
made under the law, that he might redeem them that 
were under the law ; Jesus, travailing in the might of his 
love and mercy, until he could proclaim the weightiest 
truth that ever was published in our guilty world 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxlvii 



e lt is finished;' Jesus, who rose from the dead as a 
conqueror over death; Jesus, who ascended on high, 
leading captivity captive, and receiving gifts for men, 
yea for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might 
dwell among them. Of this Jesus it is written, 'Every 
one who seeth the Son, and believeth on him, shall 
have everlasting life.' Oh! be constantly looking unto 
him. Be habitually contemplating who he is, and 
what he is, and what he has done, and what he is 
willing to do, and what he is doing, for all who seek 
him. Be habitually contemplating his character of 
majesty, and holiness, and mercy, and faithfulness. It 
is one sure effect of the grace of God which bringeth 
salvation, that it excites in the hearts of all who receive 
it, one general desire — and that desire is eef We would 
see Jesus.' We would behold his glory, the glory as 
of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and 
truth." They would behold him, not only as a Saviour, 
but as their Saviour; as the Passover to preserve them 
from the destroying Angel ; as their Befuge from the 
Avenger of blood; as their Shepherd to feed and to 
restore them ; as their High Priest to make inter- 
cession for them, and to purify and present before the 
throne their duties, their worship, their souls; and as 
their Lord, to rule over them by his commandments, 
in them by his grace, and for them by his own right 
hand — giving them the victory over the world, and sin, 
and Satan, and death, and the grave." 

As it is by the work of the Cross that these inesti- 
mable blessings are secured, the work of the Cross was 
made to occupy, in all Mr. Housman's ministrations, a 
place of central and prominent importance. It was the 
Alpha and the Omega, not of his preaching only, but of 
his life and conversation. Hear him. " Compared with 
this subject," he says, "all the interests of all the 



ccxlviii 



THE LIFE OF 



kingdoms of the earth — nay, the wonderful works of 
God's vast creation, and the care and goodness of his 
ever watchful providence — shrink and appear little. In 
the death of Immanuel there is indeed not only a deep 
solemnity, but an everlasting greatness of importance 
and consequence, in which both earth and heaven, in 
which both man and God, are concerned." To use 
the words of Archbishop Leighton, he counted "the 
whole world, in comparison with the Cross of Christ, 
one grand impertinence." To an affectionate friend he 
thus writes in 1821. "Christ crucified is the very 
soul of meditation. Think of the Cross of Christ; 
talk of the Cross ; glory in the Cross :" — and the counsel 
was illustrated in his own example. " Carry with 
you," he says to another friend, "wherever you go, 
the idea of Christ crucified. Let it be your bosom- 
thought, and it will be your guard from bosom-sin. 
The world, in its thousand forms and disguises, will 
ask your attention and your heart. But the world 
crucified your Lord. Look to the crucifier and to the 
crucified ; and then love and cleave to the world, if 
you can." "If the Cross," he says in 1824, "fails to 
win the heart unto God, the heart is never won. 
Terrors are in vain. The hearing of the songs of 
glory, or the blaspheming of the lost, would be equally 
in vain." 

The immutability of the grace of Christ, the un- 
changeableness of the rich and glorious mercy of the 
Redeemer, was a subject upon which, in alliance with 
that of the unconditional freeness of the offers of the 
Gospel, he took especial delight in dwelling. These 
two topics are beautifully enforced in an undated manu- 
script which lies before me. 

"Behold the generous and unqualified invitations of 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CCxlix 

the Saviour. 'In the last day, the great day of the 
Feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying — 'If any man 
thirst, let him come unto me and drink.' And again 
— 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
laden, and I will give you rest.' In these invitations 
the arms of his redeeming mercy were wide extended 
— and the guilty, the miserable, and the helpless, were 
welcome to flee thither; the guilty, to receive the 
pardon of their God; the miserable, to be made happy 
in sanctified affections and in the love of Christ ; and the 
helpless, to be strengthened by the Lord of all power 
and might. In his invitations Jesus Christ is still 
the same. He is perpetually uttering the same lan- 
guage of tenderness and grace. Do not object that you 
have been great sinners, and sinners of a long standing 
in the service of Satan; — the word 'all' includes you. 
Every one who asketh, receiveth ; every one who seeketh, 
findeth ; to every one who knocketh, it shall be opened. 
These are universal encouragements, and they extend 
to you. Do not object that you possess no qualifications 
to approach, no goodness of your own to recommend 
you to the Son of God: 

' All the goodness he requireth, 
Is to see your need of Him.' 

Do you see that need? Do you feel that need? 
Come and welcome. Give him credit for a generous 
heart. He cannot, indeed he cannot, resist the 
importunity of a penitent. Give him credit for a 
tender heart. Approach him in confidence. He will 
receive you; his atoning blood will cleanse you; his 
renewing Spirit will seal you the children of God. 
Whilst on earth he cast out none that came to him; 
and he will not now begin. He is still the same; 
the same in his invitations, the same in his promises, 
the same in his ability and willingness to save. Are 

hh 



ccl 



THE LIFE OF 



you writing bitter things against yourselves-? Looking 
backward, and looking within, are you ready to cry 
out, under a sense of multiplied transgressions, 'Woe 
is me — I am undone!' You are not undone. Call 
upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall 
be saved. He has saved millions, and he will save you. 
Eemember his charge to the assembled apostles — "that 
remission of sin should be preached in his name among 
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.'' Jerusalem was 
the city of murderers. Oh! take comfort and boldness 
from this amazing miracle of grace. Beware how you 
do despite to the spirit of r mercy. It is of glorious 
largeness. A ransom quite sufficient for all, however 
denied, has been paid down. What iniquity so heinous, 
which the atonement of the Cross cannot outstretch 
and outweigh 4 ? What stain of sin so deep, which the 
blood of Immanuel cannot fetch out 4 ? What injury 
can have been done to the divine honour and govern- 
ment, which is not fully and eternally repaired by the 
awful sufferings and fearful death of the Son of God 4 ? 
Ye who are shaking with alarm lest hell from beneath 
should be moved to meet you at your coming, and the 
wrath of God should fall upon you to the uttermost — 
look to the Cross, and consider who is bleeding and 
is dying there, and for whom the fountain of his blood 
was opened. He who bled was the brightness of the 
Father's glory ; and the all-cleansing and perennial 
fountain was opened for every one who flees thither in 
desire, and hope, and reliance, that he may be cleansed 
and purified. If these dispositions be yours — let not 
your hands hang down, nor your knees be feeble. 
The death of Jesus, and the promises of the word, 
and the oath of Jehovah, unite in telling you that 
grace is reigning through righteousness even unto your 
eternal life. When, therefore, Satan would persuade 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccli 



you that there is no hope, point him to the Cross, and tell 
him that he was a liar from the beginning. Point him 
to the Cross, and tell him that the everlasting purpose, 
and mercy, and power, and faithfulness, of the great 
God, have drawn a circle of protection around all the 
millions which have sought refuge there ; and that through 
that circle neither the subtilty nor the force of all the 
hosts of hell can ever break. Yes, my brethren ! — if 
all in this congregation were within that sacred circle, 
looking simply and believingly to the Lamb of God, 
we should soon form a part of that larger and more 
glorious circle of ransomed immortals, who will surround 
the throne of God for ever." 

The suitableness of the Saviour in his mediatorial 
offices was a favourite topic with Mr. Housman. I 
take the following passage from one of his manuscripts. 

"Christ, the Mediator between God and man, is an 
all-sufficient and a suitable Mediator. As the eternal 
Son, he is one with the Father ; and, as possessing the 
human nature, he is one with us. As man, his love 
and compassion are perfect; as God manifest in the 
flesh, his mercy and power are infinite. He is just 
such a Mediator as our necessities require; just such a 
Mediator as our hearts could wish. Ye who are 
fearful, trembling, and almost despairing, consider this 
subject. Your sinfulness, you say, is great, exceeding 
great ; and you say truly. But there is a great Mediator. 
He is the Son of God, and the Son of man. You 
strive against sin, but you seem tied and bound with 
its chain. There is a great Mediator. He created 
the worlds, and he can new-create your soul. Tempta- 
tions subdue you; you have no strength for resistance. 
There- is a great Mediator. His arm can give you 
firmness, wisdom, victory. There are before you, 
sickness, and death, and the grave. You shrink — you 



cclii 



THE LIFE OF 



tremble. . There is a great Mediator. He can make 
the chamber of disease a chamber of joy; he can make 
the dark valley, through his glorious presence, a plea- 
sant and a shining place ; he can shew you the opening 
grave to be nothing more terrible than a short passage 
to your Father's house above, and to all the blessings 
and the glories it contains. Such is the Mediator! 
Such is Jesus! His power is infinite, his mercy is 
everlasting ; he can subdue all things unto himself, and 
he is willing to do so. You do not dispute his power ; 
but you question his willingness to receive you. The 
only question is this — whether you be willing to receive 
him. If you possess the willingness, the point is clear. 
He is pledged to cast out none who come to him." 

Consistently with these views of the person, character, 
and work of the Redeemer, he regarded timidity in the 
profession of christian principles with a pity little short 
of contempt. "What a meeting there will be at the 
last day," he has said, "between the Saviour and those 
professors who would not endure a hard name in return 
for a life and death of love, for invitations full of grace 
and truth, and for offers of an immortality of glory ! " 
The sermons which he preached for some years after 
his coming to Lancaster, abound in urgent and often 
very beautiful appeals to the hearts and consciences of 
Nicodemite believers. I select one. 

" Ashamed of Jesus ! It surely cannot be. What ! 
— ashamed of him whom all the angels of God worship, 
and with whose praises all heaven will resound eternally ! 
Ashamed of him who endured the cross, despising the 
shame, that you might be reconciled to God, and be 
raised to the high dignity of being the sons and daugh- 
ters of the Lord Almighty ! What ! — ashamed of him 
who must comfort your hearts, if they are comforted, 
as you pass through life; who must support you, if 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccliii 



you are supported, in the valley of the shadow of death ; 
who must be your friend, if you have a friend, in the 
Day of Judgment; who must crown you, if you are 
crowned, with glory, and honour, and immortality ! 
What! — ashamed of such a Saviour! — of a Redeemer, 
whose majesty reared the heavens, and whose mercy 
is raising a spiritual temple of ransomed millions, every 
stone of which will be polished by his own hand, and 
the whole of which is to become the joyful habitation 
of the King Eternal! Ashamed of such an one! It 
must not — it will not — it cannot be. No. Gro forth 
rather, and tell the world, that while they are glorying 
in their shame, you will never be ashamed of your 
glory; that you serve a Master whom you reverence; 
that you are following a Shepherd who gathered you 
with his arm when you were wandering astray ; that 
you will magnify a Friend, who has cemented your 
affections by his own heart's blood ; that you will cleave 
to him in life ; that with your feeble voice you will 
whisper, even in death, that he is worthy ; and that 
you hope — the dark waters being passed — to employ 
your immortal powers to his everlasting honour." 

The reader who has attended carefully to these and 
similar extracts, does not require to be told that Mr. 
Housman's ministrations were happily exempt from that 
most subtle of all the subtle modifications of self-depend- 
ence, the resting upon the act of faith instead of the 
object of faith. Not less free were they from the 
equally dangerous fallacy of resting upon both jointly. 
To attach any importance to faith, beyond that which 
belongs to it as the instrument by which we are brought 
into communication with the invisible things of the 
eternal world, whether in the way of belief, application, 
reliance, or attachment, is, in fact, paradoxical as it 



ccliv 



THE LIFE OF 



may seem, to be totally without faith: and he who 
does so, is moving unprogressively and blindly within 
the dark and narrow circle of the covenant of works. 
To annex merit to faith, is no better than annexing 
merit to alms-giving; the only difference between the 
two being, that the one is an operation of the mind, 
and the other an act of the body. Nor will the force 
of this observation be diminished, by stating faith to 
be the gift of God ; unless it can be shewn that the 
bestowment was designed as an end and not as a means. 
""Faith," says a distinguished writer, "no more itself 
justifies a man, than the abstract act of swallowing 
itself nourishes a man. What justifies, is the perfect 
righteousness of Christ appropriated, not the faith which 
appropriates; what nourishes, is not the abstract act of 
swallowing, but the food which is swallowed by the 
act." * 

We resume the correspondence. The interesting 
communication which follows, was addressed to one 
of the beloved young friends to whom so many of the 
letters already printed were written. 

Thursday, July 20, 1 820. 

MY DEAR E 

The cautious conclusion in your last note ("at 
present," marked by an emphatic dash — f I am your 
affectionate friend' &c.) may be supposed to leave me 
in doubt whether I am now writing to a warm friend, 
or to a cold friend, or to no friend at all ; or to one, 
who, having been a friend, may be turned into an 
enemy. But charity, aided in this case by a little 
vanity or self-love, hopeth that what may wear the 
appearance of approaching alienation, is nothing but 

Faber on Justification, 2nd edition, p. 296. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclv 



the stern exercise of high principles. It is intended to 
convey reproof to me, for having used in my note an 
expression like the following — "ever yours." But I 
really cannot retract it, nor plead guilty. All regard 
which deserves the name, is founded on mutual hopes 
in one common salvation, and on a mutual expectation 
of being admitted, as parts of the vast family of the 
redeemed, to sing together the riches of a Saviour's mercy, 
when every note will be love. Now, if the hopes and 
the expectations be sound and scriptural, and if the 
promises will all be fulfilled, where is the objection to 
saying, "Ever yours affectionately'?" It will be so, 
whether it be said or not. 

But perhaps your conscience was operating with 
more, if possible, than its usual fearfulness of using a 
single word of undue strength or latitude. I venerate 
conscience. I do not like a bold, thoughtless, galloping 
conscience, which can heedlessly throw down every barrier, 
or leap over a five-barred gate, or break through what 
is only suspected to be the divine will. Such a con- 
science never wears well in point of comfort ; and 
never turns out well as a preservative against sin and 
sorrow. It is, however, a desideratum in theology, 
to have a treatise written, in which the difference 
could be accurately and scripturally defined, between a 
superstitious, a scrupulous, and a tender conscience. 

But whether, my dear child, your cautious language 
was the result of high principle, or of great tenderness 
of conscience, or of approaching alienation of mind 
from your minister and friend, I know not — nor per- 
haps do you exactly know. Our motives often lie 
hidden from our own penetration, amidst the rubbish 
of a deceitful heart. May I, however, be permitted to 
remind you, that you are under one obligation to your 
minister, and that of perpetual force, and from which 



cclvi 



THE LIFE OF 



you cannot be released while you continue one of his 
people. I. Thess. v. 13, former part. 

I hope, if the Lord will, to take a peep at Silverdale 
for a few hours, within a fortnight or three weeks 
from this time. I trust that I shall not find you 
shivering under the cold fit of your aguish regard. 
Get it over before I come. If, however, you should 
feel or fear its influence, I beg that you will summon 
up into your service all the aids which courtesy and 
benevolence can supply; that if I cannot see on my 

dear E *s countenance a smile of complacency, I 

may at least discover a smile of good-will. 

Farewell. Let it be your daily aim, and I hope it 
will be mine, to say, with the spirit and with the 
understanding, to a redeeming God, "Whom have I in 
heaven but Thee, and there is none upon earth that I 
desire in comparison of Thee." This state of the 
heart, I know from some little experience, is happiness ; 
and when it is attained — but alas! how feebly in 
degree — how does it throw into the shade the brightest 
glare of all sublunary things! How does it reduce 
in importance the smiles and the frowns of the world 
— and even the kindnesses, uncertainties, yea, and the 
vacillations, of christian affection! The infinity of the 
object contemplated, and of the blessings coveted, makes 
the temporal concerns of a universe shrink within very 
narrow dimensions. 

My imagination is seldom either correct or lively, 
but I think I can set before me the family at Silver- 
dale, and picture to myself some of your occupations. 
In the front of the group is my long-tried and faithful 
friend, your excellent father. I see him enjoying (and 
I really delight in the image before me) health, and 
his family, and his farm, and his Bible. I know that 
you make much both of him and of your good mother. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclvii 



You cannot make too much. We can have our parents 
only once; and their affection is at once tender, and 
disinterested, and self-denying, and persevering. 

My paper compels me to conclude. Kind love to 

E — r; but perhaps I may send her a few lines, 

to thank her for the gratification which her note 
afforded. May all the blessings of the New Covenant 
be the portion of you and yours. I am, my dear 
child, yours affectionately, 

Robert Housman. 

This beautiful letter appears to have given his 
correspondent pain — such is the sensitiveness of genuine 
friendship. Mr. Housman instantly despatched the 
following communication. 

Friday Evening. 

MY DEAR E , 

I have this moment received your note. I should 
be very very sorry to do or say anything which could 
give you a moment's pain. Though I preached, in my 
last note, from the text which you had, as it were, 
forced upon me, yet I felt much more than half 
persuaded, that any apparent want of friendliness on 
your part, consisted chiefly in a casual expression of 
approaching distance and coldness, and did not arise 
from an habitual disposition of the heart. It would 
indeed be most foolish in me, and perhaps would 
approach to the nature of sin, if I suffered a mere 
word to invalidate all those evidences of christian 
confidence and kindness, which the undeviating 
testimony of years has been giving and confirming. 
Oh no. My cordial esteem and affection for my dear 

E , whom I consider a child, a friend, one of 

the lambs of the Lord's flock, and my "joy and crown 
of rejoicing," are too sincere and strong to be thus 

i i 



cclviii 



THE LIFE OF 



shaken. Dismiss the subject from your mind, and 
forgive me if any expression of mine caused you the 
slightest grief. 

I thank you for your inquiries after my health. I 
was not well the former part of the week ; but, through 
mercy, am now nearly as usual. 

In my note last week to E r, (which was 

written after my note to you) I mentioned the probability 
of my seeing Silverdale the ensuing week. The pro- 
bability seems now to be much weakened : and I am 
sorry that it is so. If all be well, Mr. and Mrs. G. 
B., myself, and Agnes, will most likely set off for 
Windermere on Friday next. I am not fond of a 
journey. A variety of scenery has a tendency to take 
off the' mind's eye from the "great sight" of the "glory 
of God in the face of Jesus Christ." This, this is the 
object which can elevate, and calm, and spiritualize, 
the soul. To this object, my dear child, let your 
contemplation, through the Spirit's light and power, be 

daily directed. I am, my dear E , your very 

affectionate friend 

Robert Housman. 

Greenfield, August 12, 1820. 

MY DEAR E R, 

I am happy to have been enabled to borrow Theron 
and Aspasio for Richard. I am indeed glad that his 
mind is receiving a direction towards serious reading. 

I have sent him, accompanied by a note, The Pil- 
grim's Progress. It often interests young minds, and 
becomes the means of leading them forward to thought, 
and prayer, and heaven. 

Through much mercy we reached home in safety. 
If he who preserveth both man and beast had not 
been our protector, the concluding history of our 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclix 



journey would have been this, " Their carcasses fell" 
among the Lakes. 

The occupations of Saturday leave me no time for 
enlarging. But I rejoice in every opportunity which 
gives me the renewed privilege of saying that I am, 
my very dear child, your most affectionate friend and 
minister 

Robert Housman. 
The note alluded to was as follows : — 

Greenfield, August 12, 1820. 

MY DEAR RICHARD, 

I request your favourable acceptance of a small book, 
which, however, contains large instruction. Under a 
very striking allegory, it points out a christian's path 
through a world of dangers to a world of glory. 

I rejoice at your desire to read Hervey's Theron 
and Aspasio. It is, I trust, an indication that you 
wish to bend your mind, in the days of your youth, 
to the care of your soul. This, my young friend, is 
the one thing needful. The fashion of this world is 
passing away; and they are truly miserable whose life 
and whose hope must perish together. 

My parting advice is this. Read books of a serious 
tendency. Above all, read your Bible daily; with 
prayer for the Holy Spirit to open your understanding, 
and to fix your heart upon the Redeemer. I am, my 
dear Richard, your faithful friend, 

Robert Housman. 

September 1, 1820. 

MY DEAR E R, 

I think you mentioned that Richard was expected 
at Silverdale. I send him a note. I should like to 
maintain occasionally a brief communication with him. 



cclx 



THE LIFE OF 



To know that he is remembered with kindness, and 
inquired after with real solicitude and regard, may, 
among means of far greater moment, have some little 
influence in forming his character. I do like him, 
and when this is the case, it is a difficulty with me 
not to shew it. I could almost as soon cease to 
breathe. 

I was mercifully brought home the other evening in 
safety, though not without considerable weariness ; but I 
would any time encounter similar weariness for similar 
comfort. To converse with those I love ; to believe 
that they are pilgrims to a better world; and that the 
transient communications here below are only preludes 
to communion of a higher kind ; where the understand- 
ing will be all clearness, and the heart all love; and 
where the Redeemer of a lost world will be at once 
"the Inspiration and the Song;" — this surely is a good 
compensation for a little bodily fatigue. 

The prospects, my beloved child, which the Gospel 
unfolds, are indeed brilliant and stupendous. We read 
of "a city" enlightened by "the glory of God;" of 
"rivers of pleasures;" of "the crown of life." These 
are sensible images, but they convey much spiritual 
and animating instruction. But the expression "present 
with the Lord" conveys to my mind the most ex- 
hilarating notion of Heaven. It implies and includes, 
if I mistake not, a knowledge of the incarnate God; 
a conception, in some good degree, of the nature, and 
immensity, and varied manifestations of his love; and 
such a nearness to him in intellect and heart, as to 
be transformed into his likeness; as to be filled with 
admiration, and to find blessedness in praising him 
for his excellence, his ways, and his grace. Let us 

endeavour, my dear E r, to keep this amazing 

blessedness fully in our view; and surely the world 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxi 



will appear little, and he who purchased the vast bliss 
at the price of his own blood, will be, in our appre- 
hension, as he is in himself, the All in All. 

I send a sermon which is five weeks old, and much 

blackened by its travels. I have told E that 

I hope to visit your serene and silver valley once more 
before your return to Lancaster. In these and the 
like plans we should always feel, and perhaps should 
always say, "If the Lord will." This acknowledgment 
of dependence, when unfeigned, is honourable to him 
"in whom we live, and move, and have our being." 

Farewell, my dear E r, and believe me your real 

and affectionate friend 

Robert Housman. 
N.B. — Can you guess who is now the debtor, as to 
notes'? I mean, as to number. 

Mr. Housman was a firm believer not only in the 
immediate blessedness of the dead who die in the Lord, 
but in their instantaneous translation to the presence of 
their Redeemer. He rejected, as utterly untenable, the 
idea of an intermediate and separate condition of pre- 
paratory or preliminary enjoyment. His conviction, 
whether repugnant to scripture and reason or agreeable 
to them — whether consistent with a literal reception of 
the revealed fact of a day of final and general account, 
or opposed to it — is well fitted, there can be no doubt, 
to administer largely to the sustenance of christian hope 
and christian anticipations of future bliss; and in his 
own case it exercised an habitual influence, equally 
sublime and consolatory, upon his feelings and thoughts. 
With this conviction was united the delightful and truly 
rational assurance, that friendships begun on earth will 
be renewed in heaven ; that they who have met and 



cclxii 



THE LIFE OF 



known one another in the courts below, will meet and 
be known to each other, with a deepened and an 
ennobled love, in the mansions of eternal glory. To 
such meeting and to such knowledge allusion is made, 
in a passage of considerable beauty, in one of the very 
last sermons he ever preached. Having stated, in 
reference to the Transfiguration of our blessed Lord, 
that the Apostles Peter and James recognized their 
companions on the Mount to be Moses and Elias, 
he thus proceeds; — "The subject before us may remind 
you, christian believers, of a high approaching enjoy- 
ment. You are to meet your fellow-christians around 
the Throne — and what a meeting will that be ! What 
a meeting ! — when all darkness, and sin, and imperfection, 
are no more; and when every holy affection is perfect, 
and is fervently glowing in the soul ! What a meeting ! 
— when the gracious Shepherd of Israel is dwelling 
among you, and feeding you with loving-kindness and 
tender mercies! What a meeting! — when you are 
talking with your fellow-pilgrims of your mutual diffi- 
culties, and your mutual deliverances; of the Lord's 
wisdom and mercy, which led you step by step, and 
guarded you on every side; — when you are talking of 
the wonders of that grace which planned your redemption 
— of the preciousness of that blood which accomplished 
it — and of the triumphs of that love which subdued 
your carnal unwillingness, and laid you, as humbled 
criminals, at the foot of The Cross; — when you are 
talking of the power and the faithfulness which would 
not suffer you to destroy yourselves, but which conquer- 
ed, in you and for you, the world, the flesh, and 
the devil, and death, and the grave, and which 
brought you in safety, and pure as the angels of light, 
to dwell with the Lord God in Christ Jesus for ever 
and ever. Oh ! what a meeting ! — what a conversation ! 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxiii 



— what an enjoyment! — and the whole giving glory to 
God and the Lamb!" 

The following extract from a discourse preached in 
the year 1831 is eminently beautiful. 

"There is a world to come, where all who love 
Christ will certainly be assembled. It is a world of 
purity, where nothing that defileth can ever enter. It 
is a world of rest, where afflicting providences will 
afflict no more; where disappointed expectations will 
disappoint no longer: where the wicked cease from 
troubling, and where the weary enjoy an eternity of 
repose. It is a world of light. There, mysterious 
dispensations lose their mystery, for the judgments of 
God are all made manifest. There, what appeared 
lowering in this world, will be seen clothed in bright- 
ness ; and what was felt as overwhelming, will be 
discovered as the appointment of the richest mercy. It 
is a world of love and glory; perfect love, and per- 
fect glory ! Oh ! think of this ! God in Christ Jesus 
dwells among the family of Heaven. They see him 
as he is, and are like him. He leads them to foun- 
tains of living waters, and they adore him. Adoration 
is an instinct there. They are united to him, not only 
in the bonds of the everlasting covenant, but in the 
lovely bonds of an everlasting affection. And their 
affection is diffused. Think of this! Perfect love, 
infinitely diffused ! It ascends, first to him who sitteth 
upon the Throne, and then, for his sake, to the count- 
less millions who are casting their crowns before him, 
who are bearing his image, and who are singing that 
he is 'worthy.' e Absent from the body, present with 
the Lord!' This is enough: this is Heaven. This 
is our exceeding great reward. Let us press forward ; 
the earthly tabernacle will soon fall. Let us press 



cclxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



forward; and soon — it may be before another sun has 
risen — we shall behold a countenance brighter than a 
thousand suns." 

These are elevated views of Heaven. And what less 
than such a heaven, a heaven of unimaginable spiritual 
felicity, could meet the wants and satisfy the wishes of 
our moral being % — even now, in its condition of imper- 
fect development, yearning with unequal but insatiable 
eagerness for the manifestation of an ampler, a perfected 
spirituality. Oh ! such a heaven is indeed worthy of the 
whole exertion of all the powers of the soul! It is 
no mere place of refuge, vulgarly set up by the vicious 
fears of the wicked, and occupied with the wearisome 
engagements of a monotonous eternity; it is a state of 
consummated and yet of ever fresh delight, all springing 
from the perception of the adorable character and moral 
beauty of the Eedeemer. It is the God of Paradise, 
revealed in the person of his exalted Son, that gives 
Paradise its glory and its charms. It is the holiness 
of Paradise that makes its happiness. "'Absent from 
the body, present with the Lord,' is the scripture 
account of heaven." " ' We shall see him as he is' will 
be heaven." " Heaven is a place of enjoyment, because the 
glory of the Lord is there manifested in full brightness" 
"'Present with the Lord' is a compendious expression 
of the happiness of the just made perfect ; in that 
presence is 'fulness of joy.'" Such were his impressions 
of the inheritance of the saints. " There is no trouble 
there;" he says: "sorrow and sighing have fled away. 
God himself hath wiped away all tears from off all 
faces. There is no temptation there. Between Satan 
and the redeemed in their rest, there is a great gulf 
fixed; and the enemy, with all his power, can never 
pass it. There is no night there. i'The Lord God 
giveth them light, and The Lamb is the light thereof.' 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxv 



Perfect knowledge is there; the knowledge of the 
glorious character of the Lord our God. 'We shall 
see him as he is ;' even so saith the Spirit. Completed 
holiness is there. The understanding will be without 
a cloud ; the heart without one irregular desire ; and 
every power and passion of the soul will be fixed upon 
the source of all purity and bliss. 'We shall be like 
him/ the lip of eternal truth has pronounced. The 
vast blessedness of adoring gratitude will be there. 
The song has begun, but it will never cease — 'Salva- 
tion unto our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and 
unto the Lamb.' And upon this exceeding weight of 
glory, it is the will of the Most High that there shall 
be stamped 'Eternity.'" 

Heavenly-mindedness (which has been defined to be 
spirituality exercised in reference to one specific object, 
the celestial state) distinguished Mr. Housman in an 
uncommon degree. The employments and the joys of 
the redeemed in bliss, supplied the topics of frequent 
meditation, and, in the latter part of his life, of frequent 
discourse. His thoughts turned instinctively, as it were, 
to the "happy home" of the righteous; and he would 
speak of it as one might be expected to speak who felt 
that a mansion of imperishable materials was prepared 
for him. It was beautiful to observe how experimen- 
tally he talked about the things which are invisible 
and eternal; how thoroughly, having experienced the 
blessedness of living to Christ, he appreciated the 
blessedness of the dead who die in the Lord. He knew 
what Canaan was, for he had eaten of the ripe clusters 
of Eshcol. He knew what the glories of the New 
Jerusalem were ; for he had inhabited " the anticipatory 
paradise of christian piety." He may be said to have 
dwelt on the borders of the river of God, and in sight 
of the City made glad by its sacred streams. The 

k k 



cclxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



brilliant images of the Apocalypse — the walls of jasper, 
the gates of pearl, the streets of pure gold, the golden 
crowns, the fountains of water springing up everlastingly, 
the harpers harping on their harps, the white-robed 
multitudes, The Throne, with the slain but living 
Lamb in the midst, and the ethereal Light which lightens 
the majestic Temple of the King of Saints, and gives 
it all its incomparable excellence — were something 
better to him than so many splendid but unmeaning 
fictions. They were the genuine symbols of positive, 
influential, near realities. Substantiated by faith into 
spiritual facts, they had the distinctness of familiar 
objects, and mingled, like household ideas, among the 
habitual associations of his being. 

To the young friend in whose welfare so lively an 
interest is expressed in a foregoing page, the following 
affectionate letter was addressed, on the occasion of his 
entering upon one of the most arduous and honourable ■ 
of professions. 

September 2, 1820. 

MY DEAR RICHARD, 

I probably may take the liberty of sending you a 
short note, as opportunity offers, or as a subject presents 
itself. You have a threefold claim upon my best wishes 
and exertions. You are one of that family for whose 
comfort I feel a very peculiar interest ; you were lately, 
occasionally at least, one of my congregation; and I 
have conceived a real regard for you. You will not 
therefore wonder that I address you and consider you 
as my young friend. 

You must not expect, my dear Richard, that every- 
thing in your new situation will be equal, in point 
of comfort, to the many indulgences in your father's 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxvii 



house. It may not be pleasant to ascend an incon- 
venient ladder; but if, at the top of the ladder, we 
should behold a beautiful estate, which, as the recompense 
of our climbing, we might call our own, we should 
probably set about the climbing, and should press up 
the ladder with patience. Such a ladder is an Appren- 
ticeship. Some of the steps may be rather high and 
troublesome ; but if they lead to eminence in a profession, 
they should not be regarded. Think, my dear Richard, 
what is at the top of the ladder, and never mind the 
inconvenience of the way. 

If there be one or two young men besides yourself 
in the shop, you will probably observe much giddiness ; 
and perhaps you may hear religion ridiculed, and serious 
characters reviled. Here will be much danger; and 
against this danger you must be guarded, and can alone 
be guarded by an habitual sense of the momentous 
importance of real religion, both as it respects present 
peace and an everlasting existence. You must, my dear 
friend, be frequently on your knees, to implore the 
grace of Christ that you may feel the " importance of a 
soul immortal;" that you may constantly be choosing 
the good part which cannot be taken from you; that 
you may be abidingly impressed with a conviction of 
the necessity of the Redeemer's mercy, of the all-sufficiency 
of the Redeemer's power to help you, of the infinite 
excellence of the Redeemer's character, and his worthiness 
to be loved and honoured; and of the unspeakable blessed- 
ness of enjoying the Redeemers presence and salvation 
for ever. Under these views and feelings, you will no 
more mind a laugh from the vain and the worldly, than 
the traveller would regard a slight drizzling shower, 
when his home, and the comforts of his home, were 
full in view. He would rather be without the shower ; 
but it is nothingness itself, when compared with the 



cclxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



delights he has in prospect. The Saviour himself 
went through the world in the paths of reproach and 
sorrow. His religion is still the same. The heart 
of man, while unchanged, is still the same; and all 
who truly follow Jesus must share in the reproach. 

My paper tells me that I must conclude. I must 
therefore condense what I would say. Be first a 
Christian indeed, and then a Surgeon. Aim to be 
high in the school of Christ, and high in your profession. 
Diligence, sanctified by the grace of God, will do both 
things for you. Hallow the Sabbath ; be firm in your 
principles ; be instant and earnest in prayer ; and the 
God of peace will be with you. 

I am, my dear Richard, your very faithful friend, 

Robert Housman. 

In another letter to the same young friend he says; 
"Your profession every day presents before you a most 
striking exhibition of the wisdom and goodness of God. 
In the wonderful contrivance of the whole animal frame 
you behold the wisdom; and in the adaptation of each 
part to the promotion of comfort, you see the goodness. 
But it is 'the light of the knowledge of the glory of 
God in the face of Jesus Christ,' which humbles, cheers, 
transforms, and blesses." 

Greenfield, January 2, 1821. 

MY DEAR E R, 

I should have redeemed my pledge, and written to 
you sooner, if two causes had not interposed to pre- 
vent me. The first cause was this. I expected to 
have been in Rutland Street last Thursday evening, 
in my way to London. I had planned to enjoy two 
or three hours' conversation with you and yours ; and, 
on my return, to have spent a Sunday, and fulfilled 
my promise to Mr. H . But my journey is 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxix 



postponed, and perhaps it may be altogether unnecessary. 
When my travelling scheme was abandoned, and I had 
selected the precise day on which to write, I contrived 
to run my head in the dark against a sharp piece of 
wood. The blow shook my head to such a degree that 
I was glad to remain in idleness during the greatest part 
of last week. I am now comparatively well. I have 
been minute in assigning a reason, that you may not 
erroneously have concluded "out of sight, out of mind." 

The coaches, my beloved child, have whirled you far 
beyond the ken of your poor earthly shepherd; but if 
they had whirled you to the Antipodes, they could not 
have conveyed you beyond the reach of his heart. 
My desires for your present comfort and your ever- 
lasting consolation would have remained as unabated as 
ever ; and if I had the power to draw down peculiar 
supplies of the blessed Spirit, a portion of those sup- 
plies should be continually within you, making your 
countenance shine as if it were the face of an angel, 
and giving you an abundant earnest and foretaste of 
approaching glory. 

But why should I venture to speak of a " poor earth- 
ly shepherd," when I should be directing the eye of 
your faith and gratitude to the Chief Shepherd ; to him 
who laid down his life for the sheep ; to him who had 
you both in his eye and on his heart when he left the 
bosom of his father, and when he died on Calvary ; 
and when he pronounced the golden promise on which 
he knew you would rest your soul's salvation — "And 
him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." 
This single sentence, made alive and powerful by the 
Spirit's energy, has borne millions on its wings in safety, 
until it placed them, free from darkness, and enemies, 
and fears, and sins, before their Father's throne for 
ever. But we must be upon our guard that we do not 



cclxx 



THE LIFE OF 



suffer even invitations the most cordial and unfettered, 
and promises teeming with grace, and supported by 
immutability ; nor the everlasting Covenant itself; nor 
the revealed and secured joys of the kingdom; to inter- 
cept our view of him who paid the price of his own 
blood for every blessing which can descend upon his 
people ; and who purchased the right to reign in glory, 
as Mediator, until the whole church be " saved to sin 

no more." Yes, my dear E r, let the Redeemer 

be the subject of your daily and steady contemplation: 
— the Redeemer, in the wonders of his Divine Person ; 
in the strangeness of his humiliation ; in the unconceiv- 
able dimensions of his love; in the declared efficacy of 
his sacrifice; in the fulness and eternity of his salvation. 
These views, if clear, repeated, and sanctified, will do 
great things for us. They will abase us, under the 
recollection of our great ingratitude towards such a 
friend: they will shew us the character of our God, in 
its completeness and glory : they will make sin a hate- 
ful and a hated object ; and they will excite the inquiry, 
if anything can excite it, "What shall we render^" 

Your brother Richard is here, and on Christmas 
day devoted himself to the Lord at his holy table. 
What a mercy to be enabled to place himself under 
broader and better wings than those of Angels, during 
a very dangerous period of life; when inward sin is 
ready to combine with an outward enemy to rivet upon 
the soul the chains of a miserable and disgraceful 

bondage. Your prayers, my E r, have often 

ascended on his behalf; and the Lord is giving you 
encouragement to pray on. 

I called yesterday on our dear E ; she is 

far from strong ; but I hope and believe, not materially 
worse than when you left us. If my spiritual vision 
be not very indistinct, I venture to say that the Spirit's 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxxi 



seal upon her soul becomes increasingly visible. She 
requested me to say that as I intended to write 
to day, she would not write until next week. 

Farewell, my very dear E r. If any new 

events should occur which should seem to render a 
journey into the South necessary, a prospect of cold- 
ness and fatigue will, I am sure, receive alleviation 
from the circumstance that I shall expect to see in my 
journey, a lamb, a child, and a friend. * * * May 
the year which is opening, prove to you a year of ju- 
bilee indeed; a year of spiritual liberty and spiritual 

rejoicing. I am my dear E r's very affectionate 

friend 

Robert Housman. 

The distractions of the metropolis, to which he was 
called by business two months later, failed to disengage 
his mind from the affectionate consideration of the sub- 
ject of his habitual meditations. To the same corres- 
pondent he addressed the annexed letter. 

MY DEAR E R, 

I thank you for your kind note, received this morn- 
ing. If my recollection does not fail me, I promised 
in my letter of Friday that if any alteration, as to the 
time I expected to leave town, should be made, I 
would inform you. Instead of leaving on Tuesday, as 
I thought, it will be Friday or Saturday at the ear- 
liest. It may possibly be next Monday. Not being a 
man of business, I calculated upon a celerity in mak- 
ing up accounts which I find was impracticable. How- 
ever, I hope that on Friday I may see Rutland Street. 
If I should leave on Saturday, pray tell dear Mr. 
H that a journey of 98 miles would make it im- 
possible or inexpedient that I should render him any 
assistance on the following day. 



cclxxii 



THE LIFE OF 



I have not heard from home this morning, as I ex- 
pected, and I am rather alarmed. I have received a 
newspaper directed by Mrs. Housman, and that is all. 
As she is very punctual in writing, I fear that some 

at Greenfield are indisposed. If you, my dear E r, 

should hear from Lancaster on or before Wednesday 
morning, and if there should be any communication in 
your letter concerning Greenfield, have the goodness 
instantly to inform me. It is comfortable to have nerves 
when our wishes are proceeding towards accomplish- 
ment ; but not quite so pleasant to have their sensibility 
aroused by disappointment and apprehensions. But 
" the Lord reigneth," and he will "do all things well." 

Yesterday I had three full repasts. I heard Mr. 
Budd in the morning ; Mr. Wilkinson in the afternoon; 
and Mr. Wilson in the evening. Mr. Budd's was a 
sensible, good sermon; Mr. Wilkinson's was very sa- 
voury, from 1 Tim. i. 16; and Mr. Wilson's, especially 
under the third head, was very superior. His text was 
"Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin 
of the world." His divisions were 

1. The Character— "The Lamb of God." 

2. The benefit he bestows — " Taketh away the sin of . 
the world." 

3. The regard due to him — "Behold!" 

It was observed that he should be beheld or regard- 
ed with 

(1.) Attention. 

(2.) In a penitent frame of heart. 

(3.) With humble faith ; which was described as a 
resting — a reposing. 

(4.) With love and thankfulness. 

(5.) At all times — in sorrow, and temptation, and 
sickness, and death. 

They who thus behold him, will behold him in his 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxxiii 



kingdom: "And there stood a Lamb as it had been 
slain, &c, &c." Under the first subdivision, of being re- 
garded "with attention/' Mr. Wilson was very great, 
and shewed the criminality and danger of being careless 
as to beholding the Saviour. In his address to the 
careless he offered this striking observation ; " The mag- 
nitude of the mercy which you slight, will be the 
measure of your eternal condemnation." Oh! my 

E r, when the Lord gave you the disposition to 

attend to the Saviour as your refuge, your sacrifice, 
and your All, he gave you the pledge that you shall 
enjoy him eternally in the world of light and love. 

I am my very dear E r's most faithful and af- 
fectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 

Tuesday Evening, July 31, 1821. 

MY DEAR E , 

That I may avail myself of the first post to Silver- 
dale, whether the usual or an extra one, I seize an 
early moment in the week to write a note to the friend 
whom I highly esteem, and the child whom I much 
love. 

I should rejoice to hear that you were altogether 
recovered from the severe attack in your head, and 
indeed from all other attacks, both in the head and 
heart. But when will this be*? While we are in 
this earthly tabernacle, often, ah ! often, will the head 
beat with pain, and the heart be grieved with the ex- 
istence and importunities of sin. But if suffering in 
the head quickens us to spiritual diligence when the 
pain has abated, and if evil in the heart be accom- 
panied by self-loathing, and by an application of confi- 
dence to the gracious Redeemer of souls, and by fer- 
vency of prayer for the purification of the Spirit, then 

1 1 



Cclxxiv THE LIFE OF 

will pain be mercy; and then even the stirrings and 
the strivings of lamented depravity will work, through 
the Lord's overruling wisdom and grace, to a deeper 
sense of the value of his salvation, and of the fidelity 
of his promise, and of the glory of "the rest which 
remaineth." Let us press forward, daily exercising 
repentance for sin, and daily renewing our acceptance 
of Jesus, as wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctifica- 
tion, and redemption ; and even angels might envy our 
prospects. Angels are happy; but whether their fe- 
licity can equal the felicity of those who are brought 
to heaven through the infinitely precious ransom of a 
Redeemer's blood, is perhaps uncertain. 

If every other facility for visiting my dear friends in 
their beautiful seclusion were afforded, I rather think 
that Saint Anne would, during the present summer and 
autumn, fix me immoveably at Lancaster. She clings 
about me with such a firm grasp that it does not appear 
that I can be disentangled from her Saintship, even for 
a day. I have appointed to meet the children of the 
congregation at the chapel every Wednesday evening. 
On a Monday I am generally too much fatigued to 
undertake a ride with much comfort. During the four 
other days I shall have tvjo sermons to prepare, besides 
visiting the sick, &c. I have said two sermons. Mr. 
D. has complained, that coming to Lancaster, after his 
morning service at Warton, wearies him; and that 
when he is come his nerves are unpleasantly exercised, 
under the persuasion that the congregation will not be 
satisfied. Our connexion therefore is dissolved. I am 
" confident of this very thing," that the Lord will either 
send help or strength; and either will do. I have 
not a moment's anxiety upon the point. And if it 
should be appointed, in the counsels of eternal wisdom, 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CclxXV 



that I should not only "spend" but "be spent/' even 
to dissolution, in the work immediately before me, my 
last sermon, if I knew which would be the last, would 
probably be from this text — "And him that cometh 
unto me I will in no wise cast out." But something 
prompts me to conclude, " I shall not die, but live, and 
declare the works of the Lord." 

If perchance you should see "a little ewe lamb," 
lying down "in green pastures" (for green pastures 
spring up wherever they are earnestly sought) tell her 
that a very unworthy under-shepherd at Lancaster re- 
members her with cordial affection. 

At a late meeting of our Bible Society, a very ap- 
posite and forcible observation, as to the utility of Sun- 
day Schools, was made by one of the speakers. He 
said, "If it were possible that all the Bibles could be 
banished from the land, a fresh copy might be written 
from the collective memories of Sunday School scholars." 
I should think that a girl in your class (E. B.) might 
almost furnish a hundredth part of the whole. 

The same speaker narrated an interesting anecdote 
of an Irish girl whom he knew. She was in the habit 
of reading the Bible to her mother, who I think was 
either sick or infirm. A Catholic priest came into the 
cottage. He saw the Bible: he threw it into the fire 
in anger, and it was consumed. The poor girl was 
much affected, and cried out, " He has burnt my Bible ; 
but I have got off two chapters, and he cannot burn 
them." 

May we, my dear E- , have the word so en- 
grafted in our hearts, that even the fire of The Great 
Day shall not be able to touch the sacred record, 

I remain, my dear child, yours, faithfully and affec- 
tionately, 

Robert Housman. 



cclxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



Lancaster, May 24, 1821. 

MY DEAR RICHARD, 

I am really grieved that I have suffered so long a 
time to elapse without writing to you. I seem to 
think that two journeys to London,, and a variety of 
business, some usual and some unusual, will almost 
furnish me with an apology. But I probably cannot 
much mend the matter by dwelling on the subject. I 
shall therefore dismiss it with the usual observation, 
"Better late than never." I have heard of you from 
your young and pious friend Thomas Burrow;* and 
I was glad to hear that your mind continues to 
have an upward direction. You will receive this as 
an intimation of the Lord's favour towards you. It 
was not born with you. Everything by nature would 
lead you from God. Blindness, and hardness, and 
alienation — these are the things we may call our own. 
But a real thirst for God as a portion, and a hearty 
acquiescence in Jesus as the way to the Father, are 
the effects of grace, the work of the Spirit's power, 
and the earnests of an everlasting salvation. These 
dispositions are exotics, planted in a very unfriendly 
soil, and appointed to bear many a blast from the 
world, the flesh, and the devil. And, being exotics, 
they must be cautiously and constantly cherished and 
strengthened. The dispositions which have a heaven- 
ward direction, must be cherished and strengthened 

1. By serious and frequent thought. We should 
meditate on those subjects which have a tendency to 
affect the heart. The value of the soul, the danger of 
its being lost, the vast blessedness of its being eternally 
saved, the christian's enemies and the christian's hopes, 
should by turns be brought steadily into view, and 
not suffered to escape before they are felt upon the soul. 



* Now perpetual Curate of Pinner, near Harrow. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxxvii 



2. By daily attention to the Scriptures. Here the 
Great God is continually addressing us. Here he reveals 
himself — his majesty, holiness, mercy, and truth; and, 
to suit our feeble capacities and our guilty consciences, 
he reveals himself as dwelling in the human nature of 
Jesus, as in a Temple, and calls himself Immanuel. 
Here he likewise reveals our relations and obligations 
to him, and our rebellions against him ; the methods of 
his mercy, and the wonders of his salvation; and ad- 
dresses our fears and hopes, and all the powers of our 
souls. And the substance of his addresses is this — 
"Give me thine heart." 

3. By much and earnest prayer. Our supplications 
should ascend daily for manifold blessings, but the 
three following should certainly be the most prominent; — 
that we may see, and be humbled by our exceeding 
sinfulness; that we may behold, through the Spirit's 
light, the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Jesus, and that 
we may rest upon it simply and only, as all our salva- 
tion; that we may so behold the Redeemer's love and 
loveliness that we may love him supremely, and, from 
the principle of love, that we may do his will, and 
have a zeal for his glory, and a meetness for his holy 
kingdom. 

4. By a devout attendance on the sacred ordinance of 
the Sacrament. Here the symbols of redeeming mercy 
are placed before our senses; here the command and 
privilege of a Saviour's grace meet us — "Eat, O! 
friends, and drink, O! beloved;" here many a weary 
pilgrim receives a cordial to refresh him on his way; 
and here we offer unto the Lord "ourselves, our souls, 
and bodies." 

The four means of grace which I have mentioned, are 
certainly of prime importance. I trust that you, my 
dear Richard, will attend upon them duly, Press for- 



cclxxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



ward, humbly but earnestly. Regard not the world's 
reproaches. The Saviour was called Beelzebub, and 
his faithful followers must likewise be stigmatized. But 
to possess confidence and to wear a smile as you go 
through the valley of the shadow of death, and to sing 
the song of thankfulness and victory amidst the solem- 
nities of the Day of Judgment, will exhibit indeed the 
wisdom of having been religious, and will lead on to 
an immortality of glory. 

I shall be glad to hear from you at any time; and 
if I can either counsel or encourage you, you may 
command my feeble powers. I am, my dear Richard, 
your affectionate friend 

Robert Housman.* 

Mr. Housman had always a great objection to the 
private administration of the Lord's Supper, particularly 
to the dying, and avoided it whenever he could. The 
temptation to attach efficacy to the ordinance (of which, 
in common with evangelical pastors of all denomina- 
tions, he was painfully sensible) seems to be peculiarly 
strengthened by the circumstances attending an extraor- 
dinary reception of the symbolical body and blood of 
Christ. The commemorative and representative character 
of the act is especially liable to become merged in the 
spiritual advantages supposed to be connected, somehow 

*In reference to one of the journeys mentioned in this letter, I find the 
following passage in a letter to a relative. "I have been mercifully preserved 
through rather a long journey. Divine protection was graciously thrown around me ; 
therefore I am restored to my family, my friends, and my flock. If I were to 
begin to set up Ebenezers, where is the place where a very high one would not 

raise its head ? Let us be in the habit, my dear L , of taking a two-fold 

view ; a view of the Lord's love in every comfort we enjoy ; and a view of our 
great unworthiness of the slightest token of his goodness. The combined view 
would have a twofold effect ; it would excite humiliation and praise ; affections, 
pleasant in immediate exercise, and blessed preparations for standing before 
The Throne." 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. Cclxxix 



or other, necessarily with it ; and,, by a transition neither 
difficult nor slow, that which is really but a means of 
promoting a sweet and lively intercourse with the bles- 
sed Saviour, to be converted, by the ready alchymy of 
a deceitful will, into a sort of Saviour itself. What 
is done exclusively for one, assumes a more awful 
and momentous significancy than what is done equally 
for many. It flatters self. It expands veneration 
into superstition. There is an imposing and mysterious 
importance about it which begets or cherishes the 
vague idea of a charm, a passport, and a spell; and 
when an idea, though never so vague, is once felt to 
be comfortable, it stands a great chance (such are the 
short-sighted tendencies of our being) of growing both 
definite and durable. They who enjoyed the privilege 
of an intimate acquaintance with Mr. Housman, and 
the benefit of a confidential disclosure of his senti- 
ments, do not need to be told how well he knew the 
proneness of men to rely upon vicarious or ritual 
religion; how keenly alive he was to the prevalency 
of this notion, and its dangerous consequences ; and with 
what scrupulous care he guarded himself from giving 
it a moment's encouragement or indulgence. "Often 
have I mourned" (it is thus he writes in the year 
1798) " over the ignorance and superstition which have 
desired me to administer the Lord's Supper to a dying 
fellow creature, who, possessing no true views of sin, 
was consequently without repentance; possessing no 
true conception of the Saviour, was consequently with- 
out faith in his atoning blood ; and possessing no 
conviction of the necessity of a change of heart, was 
consequently without that holiness without which no 
man shall see the Lord. God forbid that we should 
employ this last and eleventh hour in fostering delusion. 
Rather, let us send up our fervent prayers to the 



cclxxx 



THE LIFE OF 



Father of mercies, that he would manifest his compassion 
and grace, and enable the dying to look up, in a spirit 
of humble penitence, to the Lamb of God which taketh 
away the sins of the world. Then, like the thief 
upon the cross, he may be saved — 'yet so as by fire.'" 
The opus operatum, which is Antinomianism in its 
absurdest form, found no friend in Mr. Housman. 

It is important to remark, in connexion with this 
subject, that he was in the habit of inviting his 
congregation to the Lord's table, not of driving them 
to it. He represented the act of communicating as a 
privilege; and sought, by persuasive exhibitions of the 
vast and precious grace of redemption, to win his people 
to a reception of the love-memorials of their dying 
Redeemer. To insist, as some ministers do, upon the 
absolute indispensableness of joining the sacred feast, 
approaches, if it does not reach, the doctrine of sacra- 
mental efficacy. 

In the next letter, the basis of christian friendship 
(that is, the basis of the highest order of the best 
and noblest sort of friendship) is beautifully described. 

MY DEAR E , 

I thank you for your note. It was E alto- 
gether. From kindness I expect nothing but what is 
kind, notwithstanding your occasional cautions and 
surmises concerning your probable instability. My 
sanguine mode of thinking and feeling precludes me 
from entering into these cold calculations. From the 
troubled sea I expect nothing but fluctuations ; and 
from a more changing world I look for nothing but 
change. Its poor inhabitants, having no principle better 
than selfishness, and no resting place higher than the 
earth, must needs be roving from variety to variety, 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxxxi 



ever anxious and ever inquiring "Who will shew us 
any good V But christian regard is surely fixed upon 
a more stable basis, and its superstructure raised with 
more precious materials. Its basis is a mutual interest 
in the " great salvation ;" and the materials of the 
superstructure are, a participation of the same hopes and 
fears, joys and sorrows, conflicts and victories, means 
and privileges, promises and prospects ; and the cementing 
influence which unites the heart of one believer more 
strongly to another rather than to a third or a fourth, 
is, a congeniality in disposition, combined with the 
opportunity of exercising successive acts of confidence 
and kindness. Christian regard, thus formed, will, I 
believe, continue firm, so long as religious principle 
rules in the soul. 

I should rejoice to see your "Garden of Eden," now 
that the serpent is destroyed. If I could bring along 
with me a heart free from the poison of the "Old 
Serpent," and find your heart under the same blessed 
freedom, what a day could we spend at Silverdale! 
How deeply should we drink of that river, the streams 
of which make glad the City of God ! We should eat 
angels' food. The woods and the hills on every side 
would be taught by us to reverberate the Eedeemer's 
praise. We should not envy the Apostle what he 
heard or saw in the third heaven. The Lord would 
be near, and adored, and enjoyed ; and our joy would 
be full. But alas! the delightful vision is not yet to 
be realized. The whole head is still sick, and the 
whole heart is still faint. We have still to feel the 
poison, and the misery, and the danger. But the 
promise is exhilarating and is sure — "The God of 
peace will bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Let 
us plead the promise, and pray with fervency, and the 
" shortly" may be with us before another sun shall rise. 

m m 



cclxxxii 



THE LIFE OF 



You are aware that Mr. D will be at Kendal 

on Sunday, and that a plan was formed for Mr. B 

being at St. Anne's in the afternoon. But all things 
considered, I think it best that your minister should 
remain at Silverdale. If there had not been many ifs 
stepping forward with their officious interposition, such 
as — If I had seen my way quite clear, as to the 
propriety of leaving St. Anne's, under existing circum- 
stances, for a whole day; and if I had possessed the 
command of a pony ; and if no suspicion had crossed 
my mind concerning the expediency of Sunday travel- 
ling, without an absolute necessity ; and if I had not 
reason to suspect that the motive of proposing an exchange 

with Mr. B might be, not to advance the cause of 

Christ, but to see my Silverdale friends ; if these, and 
perhaps an et cetera of ifs, had not interposed, I believe 
that I should have asked your minister to exchange 
with me the duties of the whole day, and I should 
have been at Silverdale about nine in the morning, and 
continued until after tea. But you see, from the number 
and nature of my ifs, that the plan was impracticable. 

My kind respects to all under your roof. You have 
now a pony. You must remember that want of em- 
ployment is bad for man, and (perhaps) for beast. You 
must not therefore be accessory to any evil tricks of 
your animal, by suffering him to eat and not to work. 
Ride out every day ; and thus consult your own health, 
and your pony's morals. 

I am my dear E 's very affectionate 

Robert Housman. 

Monday, Dec. 17, 1821. 

MY DEAR MISS W- , 

You will be surprised at receiving a note from me. I 
have a slight message to send to your kind father ; 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. Cclxxxiii 

and the circumstance of writing to you, in order to re- 
quest that you would have the goodness to become the 
medium of the communication, is gratifying to the cor- 
dial esteem and christian affection which I feel for you. 

The message is simply this. A young man of the 
name of Dixon is a candidate for orders, with the 
view to become my assistant. In the Title which I 
sent to the Bishop I spelled his name Dickson, in- 
stead of Dixon. It may be necessary to mention this 
mistake. 

I hear that your dear friend Miss W is ex- 
pected at Lune Bank. I wish you could have accom- 
panied her. It is pleasant to see the Lord's people 
coming from the East, and the West, and the North, 
and the South ; bearing the same testimony ; humbled 
under the same views of sin; encouraged by the same 
unfettered invitations; looking to the same Cross for 
mercy; and living dependent, for the needed supplies 
of grace, on the same exalted Head of the Church. 
This identity of character shews that they are taught 
by the same Spirit, and is a perpetual fulfilment of the 
promise, "And I will give them one heart and one 
way." 

I trust, my dear child, that you are now walking, at 
least frequently, with your head above the clouds. If 
you be willing to be the Lord's, I am sure that he is wil- 
ling to be your Saviour : nay, your willingness was the 
fruit of his. What a consideration! — that he should 
even supplicate the rebellious (2 Cor. v. 20.) How 
certain, then, the success of our supplications ; unless 
we should admit the blasphemous supposition, that after 
his invitations and entreaties had been the means of ex- 
citing our desires, and prayers, and expectations, he should 
determine to leave unsatisfied the hopes which he him- 
self had raised. 



cclxxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



The note is called for: I must therefore conclude 

with subscribing myself my dear Miss W 's very 

affectionate friend 

KOBERT HOUSMAN. 

The Bev. Myles Dixon, whose name occurs in this 
letter, was for several years Mr. Housman's curate, in 
the discharge of which responsible and honourable office 
he succeeded in obtaining the confidence and regard of 
both the minister and congregaion of St. Anne's. Be- 
tween Mr. Housman and him the strongest attachment 
subsisted. " I write to you," says the former, in the 
year 1833, (t under the pleasant and significant appel- 
lation of friend. I have found you to be faithful and 
affectionate; and in going through life I have found 
very few to be such. The leaven of all-controlling 
self spoils the fair mass." And a few months later he 
says, " I am much in your debt, in the account of cor- 
respondence; and, I believe, being on the verge of 75 
years of age, I must continue your debtor still. But 
though I do not write, I can feel ; and there is no one 
whose kindness I can feel more than I do yours." Mr. 
Dixon was succeeded in the curacy of St. Anne's by 
the Bev. James Statter, of whom affectionate mention 
is made by Mr. Housman in the following extract from 
a letter, dated April 15th, 1833, to the Kev. M. A. 
Collisson, Minister of Bishop Byder's Church, Birming- 
ham. "I have exercised my ministry in St. Anne's 
nearly thirty-seven years; and, I believe,, under no 
slight blessing from the gracious Head of the Church. 
* * I ventured to state to Dr. Singer, three requi- 
sites which I should wish to find in an Assistant; 
namely, sound evangelical principles ; a good voice ; 
and a mild persuasive manner, suited to the merciful 
genius of the gospel of the grace of God. It is of 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxxxv 



great consequence that an Incumbent and his Assist- 
ant should concur, as nearly as possible, in their views, 
manner, and plans. The prosperity of their congrega- 
tion (at least their comfort) depends in a great de- 
gree upon the union and cordiality of the two ministers. 
Mr. Statter and I walked together in 'the House of 
God as friends.'" 

Greenfield. 

MY DEAR MISS W , 

Mrs. T. H. has just sent to me two copies of a very 
luminous statement of divine truth and of christian 
experience and practice, received from you, and written 
by Mr. Henry Parker. I take the opportunity of the 
return of the person who brought the parcel, to return 
you my affectionate thanks for the very kind present 
which I received on your leaving Lancaster. To live 
in the remembrance, and the hearts, and the prayers, 
of the Lord's redeemed people, is an inestimable privi- 
lege. Among the redeemed, the free grace of God in 
Christ has placed you; your experience determines the 
point. A thorough conviction of our lost estate as 
sinners, and of the insufficiency of the world to give us 
peace, and the consent of the will to receive Christ as 
our righteousness and sanctiiication and redemption, are 
decisive evidences ; for nothing truly of this kind can 
be received except it be given from heaven. Go for- 
ward, my dear J , humbly and earnestly endeavour- 
ing daily to realize the glory, and love, and work, 
of Immanuel ; and f confidently anticipate these results — 
a growth in grace, evidenced by increasing humiliation ; 
more habitual consolation; a life of peace, though 
surrounded with external trials ; and a death of triumph. 

I write in much haste, but I have time to assure 

you most sincerely that I am my dear Miss W s 

very affectionate friend 

Robert Housman. 



cclxxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



1821. 

MY DEAR CHILD, 

I was truly rejoiced to hear that Silverdale had been 
the means of recruiting you considerably. I like the 
word "means." It reminds me of the great and 
beneficent Agent of all good. "I am the Lord that 
healeth thee/' is a scripture which should excite depend- 
ence in the time of need, and excite adoring thankfulness 
when the restoring hand of mercy has been stretched 
forth. 

How much, my dear E , do you owe unto the 

Lord! He has given you the great talent of a feeble 
constitution. In a robust frame there is a sad tendency 
to say unto the soul, "Soul, thou hast much good laid 
up for many years." In a weaker frame, such as yours 
and mine, the reflection will, or at least ought to be, 
forced upon us — "The tottering tabernacle must soon 
come down." And let it come down, and let us rejoice 
in every symptom of its speedy dissolution, if, through 
grace, we are enabled to say, "We have a building of 
God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the 
heavens." 

###### ######### 

The poor man whom I visited was S y. Both 

his body and mind seem nearly gone, and I fear that 
he knows but little of himself, and less of the Saviour. 
The question was asked him by a good man, "Do you 
think that Christ can save you 4 ?" He replied "I 
believe he can, but I will not ask him." Rebellion 
and enmity were here in full and infernal exercise. 

Who made thee, E , to differ? Who gave thee 

the willing mind, and at times the thirsty soul? He 
who said " And whosoever will, let him take the water 
of life freely" 
##### 

Robert Housman. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cclxxxvii 



Of what are called death-bed repentances Mr. Housman 
had no great opinion. "I do not say/' he thus writes 
in the year 1827, "that an eleventh hour is not some- 
times distinguished by the outpouring and the triumphs 
of abounding grace ; but I do say, from long and very pain- 
ful observation, that the general state of mind in which 
triflers with their souls meet the approach and the 
stroke of death, is either stupor or horror, and, in 
either case, they are driven away in their wickedness." 
Nay, even in the majority of cases in which comparative 
calmness and composure of mind are united with an 
unfeigned sense of the sinfulness and deep pollution of 
sin, (and Mr. Housman had known many such) salvation, 
it is to be feared, is but a dark and awful problem. And 
why % Because (apart from the certainty that repentance 
denotes something infinitely more complicated and sub- 
stantial than a bare sentiment of regret — being, in 
point of fact, a radical change or renewedness of dis- 
position and principle) salvation includes not merely 
the initial work of pardon, which is external — but the 
whole ulterior work of sanctification, which is wrought 
in us; and because this work, without which no one 
shall see God, is, in the ordinary economy of divine 
grace, progressive. That it is more or less rapid in 
different persons, and that ff one may advance more in 
an hour than another in a long life," is however true; 
and this truth, coupled with the blessed and consolatory 
fact that God desireth not the death of a sinner, may 
perhaps justify the conclusion, that on behalf of 
those who really and contritely feel their defilements, 
though lying on the very verge of the eternal world, 
the transforming energies of the Holy Spirit may be 
graciously applied with sudden or even instantaneous 
effect. The- peradventure, it must be admitted, yields 
but a vague and comfortless foundation. What better can 



cclxxxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



be offered'? " There is no other covenant for dying 
men/' says Jeremy Taylor, "than that which has been 
made with the living and healthful:" and it may be 
added, as a warning against procrastination, that the 
Gospel was never resisted without leaviug the heart of 
the resister more hard and uncomplying than it found 
it, less susceptible of the emotions designed to be 
produced, and less capable of responding efficiently 
to a future appeal. 

Whatever may be the purposes of God in respect of 
extreme instances of repentance, one thing is certain 
(and it is a truth which cannot be too often or too 
urgently proclaimed, since it is indispensable to a right 
understanding of the nature and end of religion) that 
unless the image of Christ be formed within us now, 
we shall never awake in his likeness hereafter. Unless 
we walk with God below, there can be no preparation 
for living in his presence above. If Mercy be the 
first gate through which the sinner passes into "the 
kingdom," Holiness is the second ; he must pass through 
both. "Grace," says good old Berridge, "is the 
blossom-bud of glory." It appears, and is beautiful in 
this life; it unfolds and is perfected in the next. The 
views, the tempers, the employments, the enjoyments 
of both worlds are the same ; they only differ in degree. 
The love and the habits of evil dreadfully expand, 
when the horrors of the grave are traversed; the love 
and the adoration of the people of God immeasurably 
enlarge, when mortality is swallowed up of life. Man- 
kind take into the everlasting state the dispositions they 
had here indulged ; and whether they rise from glory 
to glory, or, consistently with our experience of the 
nature and laws of mind, sink from anguish to anguish, 
will depend upon whether, whilst here, they walked 
with God or walked with Satan. Walking with God 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. Cclxxxix 

is an unavoidable prerequisite of reigning with Christ, 
We shall never dwell with the Lord in heaven, if the 
Lord has not dwelt with us on earth. Heaven, in 
fact, as well as hell, begins on earth. To admit Christ 
into the heart, is to admit heaven into the heart; to 
retain the world in the heart, is to retain hell in the 
heart. The future is not distinct from the present, 
but only remote from it. It is essentially a part of 
the present, united by a succession of undiscovered 
periods and events. The future life is the present life 
extended; the present life stretched out, either into the 
regions of light and gladness, or into the regions of 
gloom and sorrow. It is (to adopt the significant lan- 
guage of Bishop Butler) a "going on" of the present: 
the dissolution of the human body, which we call 
death, being, in the dispensation of divine government, 
the appointed process of introduction to that incompa- 
rably awful portion of existence which lies beyond the 
limits and dominion of sense. 

The following letters — the first written in acknowledg- 
ment of a bag of nuts, the second of a present of 
apples — are in exact accordance with a principle laid 
down by Bishop Wilson in his valuable Maxims of 
Piety. "The way to advance in christian perfection," 
says that admirable prelate, "is to make christian re- 
flections upon every occurrence of life, and to endeavour 
to improve by them." This, Mr. Housman was 
accustomed to do, in an eminent degree, especially in 
conversation. Probably few men have been more suc- 
cessful in associating accidental circumstances with 
spiritual and profitable observations ; in connecting the 
transitory events of time with the coming eternity. 

MY DEAR E R, 

It has been said, "There is love in a nut." The 

n n 



ccxc 



THE LIFE OF 



meaning, I imagine, is this; — the gift of a nut mani- 
fests love in the giver. If this be true, the gift of 
many nuts must shew much love; and the gift of many 
and rich nuts will indicate much and rich love ; rich 
in quality, of true christian produce ; rich in degree, 
generous and " fervent;" and rich in duration, when 
sun, and moon, and stars, are swept from the firmament. 

You see, my dear E r, what bold inferences I 

am drawing from your kind present of a bag of nuts. 

And what equivalent can I offer for the many treats 
which your present will furnish 4 ? I can bestow but 
little, but I can remind you where much indeed is to 
be obtained; and perhaps, though very unworthy of 
the office and honour, I may in some measure be the 
appointed means of introducing you to heavenly fare. 
I can tell you of "wine and milk" — the one to nourish, 
and the other to exhilarate. I can set before you 
"marrow and fatness," and assure you that the Founder 
of the feast is always saying "Eat, O friends, and 
drink, O Beloved." I can point to the "Banqueting 
House," where the "banner" over all who enter is 
"Love;" and where the guests receive an assurance 
that they shall sit down to " the marriage-supper of 
the Lamb in glory." 

I know not whether Mary Ann B d were in 

your class in the Sunday School, or in the next. Be 
this as it may, she is dead of the fever, and is gone 
to heaven. She left bright evidence indeed during 
her illness, that her heart was with Christ, and that 
her soul possessed and enjoyed salvation. 

My kind love to dear E ; I hope her journey 

will not have injured her. Miss B., though very 
weak, is recovered. She has been on the verge of 
heaven, in her views and consolations. 

I am my dear E r's very affectionate, 

Robert Housman. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxci 



Saturday, 12 o' Clock. 

MY DEAR E , 

May I request that you will have the goodness to 
present my best respects and thanks to your kind 
father for his very welcome present of most beautiful 
and delicious apples. The apples are valuable; the 
disposition which sent them, of much higher value. 
We can always see the kindness of our earthly friends 
in their various remembrances; why is it that we do 
not always see the kindness of a heavenly benefactor 4 ? 
Is it that the gifts are so incessant that they cease to 
impress*? — or that they are so large that they inter- 
cept between the eye and the giver *? Is it not rather, 
that domineering depravity blinds and stupines 4 ? The 
true secret of happiness, however, consists in the ha- 
bitual perception of the Lord's adorable character, ma- 
nifested in what he has both said and done, and in 
the habitual enjoyment of the moral beauty. "We shall 
see him as he is," will be Heaven. 

I ask myself — why does not the moral garden of my 
soul produce fruit as comely and excellent and abun- 
dant as the natural garden at Silverdale produces in 
its kind and way % The sun shines at Silverdale ; — 
the Sun of Righteousness is ever ready to shine into 
the heart. The rains descend at Silverdale ; — et I will 
be as the dew unto Israel" is the promise. The 
coldness and the frosts of winter prevent the trees at 
Silverdale from being proudly luxuriant in leaves and 
boughs, which would make them unproductive; — and 
have no merciful darkness, and coldness, and storms, 
been sent to check my aspirings'? They ham been 
sent, in gracious abundance. Why, then, Oh ! why 
does not my soul exhibit just such fruitfulness as the 
garden from whence these apples have been sent *? In 
the garden there is no counteracting principle; in the 



CCXC11 



THE LIFE OF 



soul there is a principle poisoned even with enmity 
against the heavenly husbandman. But grace can 
triumph; yea, and will triumph, and will make the 
soul which honestly seeks salvation — partially here, and 
perfectly hereafter — " as the garden of the Lord." 

But I am forgetting my sermon, to remember my 
friend. Farewell. Yours very affectionately, 

Robert Housman. 

Mr. Housman has been called a Calvinist, and he 
was one. He was such a Calvinist as Baxter; and 
having said this, I leave the question sufficiently obscure. 
Like Baxter, "he was too good a theologian to base 
accountability upon grace, and too practical a philoso- 
pher to theorise on passive power."* But with these 
and similar hard and perilous matters, "foreknowledge, 
will, and fate— fixed fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute," 
he wisely refrained from interfering. For a solution of 
"all mysteries" he was content to wait; content to 
forego the gratification of his curiosity, until "that 
which is perfect" shall have "come." This he knew, 
and this he preached — that the offer of salvation is 
made to all, and that the mercy of God endureth for 
ever; that the fountain of life has been opened, and 
that any who are athirst may take of its waters freely ; 
and that the humble and diligent use of the appointed 
means of grace, leads infallibly to the "fulness of joy." 
The freeness and universality of the overtures of the 
Gospel were constant themes of his adoring praise. 
"It is a frequent and a very favourite employment of 
mine," he says, "to endeavour to display before my 
people the boundless mercy of the Father, the boundless 
merits of the Son, and the boundless grace of the Holy 
Ghost. I wish to exhibit, and I strive to exhibit 

* Philip's Baxter, p 37. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxciii 



redemption in something of its glorious fulness, and to 
sound abroad the cheering declaration, ' Yet there is 
room.' I am anxious, and I eagerly seek, to set forth 
the Divine Being as that Being has revealed himself — 
merciful, and gracious, and long-suffering, and abundant 
in goodness and truth.'" The annexed letter shews 
how judiciously he discouraged a disposition to frequent 
the high and barren places of divinity. What Burnet 
calls "the great sublimities" of speculation, had for 
him no attractiveness. Few men knew better than he, 
that elaborate disquisitions on remote and uncertain 
topics of Christianity too generally operate as splendid 
screenwork, hiding the truth they were intended to 
glorify. Godly edification was his object; godly edifi- 
cation, urged by the "impressive simplicities" and "honest 
assurances" of the Gospel. This object absorbed him. 
He longed for nothing so earnestly as the salvation of 
his hearers. He worked for eternity, and he worked 
in the continual view of eternity. Regarding mankind, 
if not exclusively, at least mainly, in their final relation 
to another state of being, and in the grand elements 
of their undying existence, his ministrations, both in 
the pulpit and out of it, were solemn, emphatic, and 
uncompromisingly direct. His appeals were to the 
conscience, not to the curiosity. For himself and for 
others (to use the words of Dr. John Owen) "he had 
one great business in hand, and comparatively one only 
— namely, f the one thing needful,' f the better part to 
be growing daily in the power of divine grace, in the 
spiritual mind, in faith, in love, in fervency of prayer, 
in holy meditation," in likeness to Christ, the hope of 
glory. He habitually lived and spoke as he would 
wish to be found living and speaking, when death, the 
sharp ender of controversies, should approach. 



ccxciv 



THE LIFE OF 



Greenfield, March 27, 1822. 

MY DEAR RICHARD, 

I am sorry that I have been so long in paying you 
that attention which for some time it has been my wish 
to do. But frequent pains in the head, and a multitude 
of avocations, must plead my excuse in some degree. 
Nothing, however, can properly apologize for epistolary 
idleness; and with this evil I am justly and generally 
chargeable. 

I have been gratified in learning that your face is 
still toward heaven, though in weariness, and in fear, and 
in much trembling. " Faint yet pursuing" is a good 
christian motto; and he to whom it legitimately belongs 
is not far from the kingdom of God. I have heard 
that you have been puzzled with the high points of 
Predestination and Election. Doctrines which may be 
safe and profitable in one state of the mind, may be 
unsafe and unprofitable in another. A child requires 
milk and not strong meat; and that person would be 
an unskilful nurse who should attempt to cram the 
child with food which its feeble powers of digestion 
could not convert into wholesome nutriment. It was 
the habit of the good and wise and tender Shepherd 
of Israel, to teach his followers "as they were able to 
bear it." If we had been long confined in a dark room, 
and were brought suddenly into a meridian light, our 
eyes would be dazzled, overpowered, and almost put 
out. A farthing rushlight, and that at some distance, 
would be the only lustre we ought at first to encounter. 
Just so should it be with those who are only emerging 
from the darkness of nature. There are two truths, 
prior in point of time, and paramount as to importance, 
which should engage the attention; I mean "repentance 
towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus 
Christ^ By " repentance " I mean that lowly frame 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCXCV 



of the heart which becomes us as sinners, and which 
arises from a proper perception of our relations and obli- 
gations unto God, and of our base and multiplied 
offences against him. This "perception" the Holy 
Spirit can alone bestow : but the precious gift is pro- 
mised to all who ask. After the daily experience and 
exercise of this repentance, you, my young friend, must 
continually press ; and just in proportion as you perceive 
something of the glorious character of God, as revealed 
in the Son of his love, and perceive, at the same time, 
your own extreme unworthiness, will you take up the 
language of Job, " I have heard of thee by the hearing 
of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I 
abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." But re- 
pentance blots out no sin. It is therefore necessary to 
be daily pressing through hosts of difficulties and sins, 
and to be reposing the soul on the sufficient atonement 
of the blessed Immanuel. This reposing of the soul 
on the Saviour, arising from an approbation of, and 
acquiescence in, his great salvation, is " the gift of God." 
It is to be sought in reading the word which testifies 
of Jesus ; in praying for the Spirit whose office it is 
to glorify Christ; and in humble and frequent medita- 
tion on his love, his sacrifice, his intercession, his 
invitations, and his promises. To the attaining of a 
large measure of this repentance and faith, let your 
chief attention be directed. To these two dispositions 
of the mind, the richest promises are made. 

If the means are used with faithfulness, the two 
grand blessings will certainly be received: and the 
consciousness of possessing them will be received like- 
wise. Then peace will flow in like a river; then hope 
will expand ; then the love of a redeeming God will be 
shed abroad in the heart; and then you may safely en- 
counter the study of Predestination and Election. But 



CCXCvi THE LIFE OF 

before the attainments I have mentioned, I could scarcely 
advise you to attend to these high points. They will per- 
plex, but I think will not comfort you : afterwards, they 
may comfort without perplexing. In the meantime re- 
member that all sober-minded Calvinists and Arminians 
agree in one most essential particular: namely, that all 
who diligently seek will assuredly find; and that they 
who do not seek will certainly perish. 
Your faithful and affectionate friend 

Robert Housman. 

The policy of this letter was the uniform policy of 
his preaching and conversation. In both he discou- 
raged the very common and mischievous propensity to 
scrutinize the hidden decrees and purposes of heaven. 
The unyielding will which he exhibited in resisting 
every inquiry of a merely scientific character deserves 
indeed to be noticed as one of his most distinguishing 
peculiarities. It was displayed in early life, and it 
continued to the day of his death. With regard to 
the subject at present under consideration, it was enough 
for him to teach, and for others to know, that none 
can be called who do not love God, and that none 
who sincerely and perseveringly love God can fail to 
be of the number of the called. This simple and 
scriptural view of the case certainly does not remove 
the philosophical difficulties of the question; but it is 
with something better than philosophical difficulties, it 
is with the pressing practical vitalities of religion, that 
christian ministers have primarily and mainly to do. 
Not to the "wise" and the "prudent" is the mystery 
of godliness revealed; but to "babes." The kingdom 
of God must be received, if received at all, in an atti- 
tude of dependence — in the docile and humble spirit 
of a little child; a fact, resting as it does upon the 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CCXCvii 

infallible testimony of Jesus, which seems to forbid, at 
least in the preliminary stages of conversion, by an 
implication the most absolute, the entertaining of ob- 
scure and intricate theories. It must not however be 
concealed, that though Mr. Housman experienced, both 
in public and in private, an insuperable dislike to the 
introduction of speculations exclusively calvinistic, and 
always got rid of such topics as speedily and as com- 
pletely as he was able, he shrunk, with an equal de- 
gree of aversion, from the unconditional judgment too 
frequently passed upon them by rash and flippant de- 
claimed. Writing from Leicester upwards of fifty 
years ago, he thus records his opinions; — "'Since so 
much is said in the Scriptures concerning God's having 
compassion according to his own purpose and grace, it 
becomes those who cannot yet receive the doctrine, not 
to speak against it. In your opposition to it, perhaps 
it may one day appear that you were fighting against 
God. The proper temper then, in which we ought 
all of us to examine the doctrines of Scripture, is this — 
'What I know not, teach thou me?" From the same 
communication the following is also taken. — " c Who 
maketh thee to differ from another?' There is no 
answer given to the question ; and there is much beauty 
in the silence. Oh, for the exciting of your humility 
and thankfulness, attend to this subject. It was the 
Lord God, who, by his mighty power, and according 
to his sovereign pleasure, made you to differ from others. 
You were by nature a child of wrath, even as others. 
You possessed the same perverseness, ingratitude, and 
enmity against God. But God, who is rich in mercy, 
for his great love wherewith he loved you, hath quick- 
ened you. The same grace which quickened you, would, 
if given to another who dies in his sins, have quick- 
ened him; but God had mercy upon you y because he 

o o 



ccxcvm 



THE LIFE OF 



would have mercy. Let this thought be frequently in- 
dulged, and it will give a death-wound to your pride; 
—you will learn to say, even in your highest attain- 
ments, By the grace of God, I am what I am. Con- 
sider likewise what the Scripture says in Ephes. i. 4. 
He hath chosen us Sfc, and in I. Tim. ii. 9. Who 
hath saved fyc. In these Scriptures we are informed 
that salvation, in all its stages, from the foundation to 
the topstone, arises from the sovereign mercy and grace 
of God." 

Whatever may have been Mr, Housman's deliberate 
and habitual opinions on this prolific source of contro- 
versial bitterness, they were never suffered, as I have 
previously hinted, to contract or mar the comprehensive 
and beautiful spirit in which the offers of salvation and 
the promises of Scripture are respectively made. Ee- 
velation, he knew, aims at the heart ; and it was to 
the heart that he, as a minister of revelation, directed 
his appeals. Never was preaching more free from the 
cold, dry, profitless theories of the schools; never was 
preaching more full of the life and the love, the pity 
and the tenderness, the generous and attractive catholi- 
city, of the religion of the meek and merciful weeper 
at the grave in Bethany. 

ee Without glancing at the controversy concerning the 
extent of the efficacy of the salvation of Christ," (it is 
thus he spoke in 1792) "few, I apprehend, will deny 
that the offer of it is made to all. f He that hath 
ears to hear, let him hear.' 'If any man thirst, let 
him come unto me and drink. 1 "Whosoever will, let 
him take the water of life freely.' Even the most 
hopeless characters are addressed with an affectionate 
importunity which no compassion less than divine 
would condescend to use. e Hearken unto me, ye stoat- 
hearted, that are far from righteousness • I bring near 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccxcix 



my righteousness ; it shall not be far off, and my salva- 
tion shall not tarry.' Nay, the 'kings and the rulers 
of the earth/ who 'take counsel together against the 
Lord and against his Anointed, saying, Let us break 
their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us/ 
are intreated and commanded to 'kiss the Son/ and 
have a promise of blessedness if they 'trust in Him.' 
Here, then, is encouragement to the weak, if they feel 
their impotence ; to the guilty, if they acknowledge 
their offences ; to the enslaved, if they lament their 
bondage, and groan for deliverance; to the most de- 
praved and detestable ; to the very opposers of God, and 
the persecutors of his people, if they be willing to 
make application unto Jesus for pardon, grace, and 
salvation. He will in no wise cast you out. The door 
of mercy is set open in the Gospel; nor can the con- 
federate hosts of hell, nor even the number and mag- 
nitude of your transgressions, shut it against you. 
Pray for strength that you may have ability to enter; 
and there will be joy in heaven at your recovery from 
ruin. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be 
as white as snow : though your heart be in league 
with iniquity, it will renounce and abominate its idols; 
though destruction and misery are in your ways, you 
will rejoice with joy unspeakable and Ml of glory." 

Thirty-three years later he says: — 

"All are welcome to come to Jesus Christ to re- 
ceive forgiveness. The Brazen Serpent was lifted up 
as an universal remedy. Every wounded Israelite was 
permitted to look; and every one who did look, how- 
ever distantly, however faintly, was healed. Just so it 
is with the Redeemer. From the Cross on Calvary 
this is the free invitation of his love ; ' Look unto me 
and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth' Was any 
wounded dying Israelite forbidden to look to the ser- 



ccc 



THE LIFE OF 



pent of brass Not one. Was any prevented I Not 
one. Neither is any sinner forbidden; neither is any 
sinner prevented. All who please may look to the Lamb 
of God for healing and for cleansing, and for all 
the joys and glories of the everlasting covenant. It is 
written, e Whosoever believeth in him.' The full and 
the gracious ' whosoever' includes all who are wil- 
ling. Nothing — no nothing — can bar against you the 
door of mercy, but unbelief. You may enter if you 
like : — oh ! come in. The Saviour stands with open 
arms, as he hung on Calvary, and he will cast none 
out who fly to those arms for refuge. Fly to them — 
they are the arms of everlasting love." 

In the following year (October 15th, 1826) he speaks 
still more explicitly on the subject of the extent of 
Christ's death; and if the most unequivocal disavowal 
of the doctrine of particular redemption might be received 
as implying an equally express and unreserved disavowal 
of that of election, (though subtle and far-seeing theo- 
logians have determined otherwise) the subjoined extract 
would render superfluous any further conjectures respecting 
Mr. Housman's opinions on the latter topic. 

"Upon the subjects of particular redemption and 
general redemption," he says, "much has been written 
which ought not to have been written. When the 
grand and essential points are maintained as to their 
necessity, and maintained in truth, and simplicity, and 
experience — such as repentance towards God, faith 
in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration by 
the Spirit — of what avail is controversy 9 It would 
be well to avoid it; for under the heat of controversy 
the christian dispositions wither and die. They who 
hold particular redemption are earnest in arguing that 
Jesus Christ died for those only who will finally be 
benefitted by his mediation. They who hold general 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccci 



redemption are of opinion that Christ died for all; but 
that none can have the benefit of his death except 
those who flee to him for refuge, who hang upon his 
atonement who feelingly rest upon him as the only 
Rock of Salvation, confessing their sins. This latter 
view seems to be the view of our truly evangelical 
Church. Look at the Communion Service. ' Almighty 
God, our heavenly Father, who of thy tender mercy 
didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death 
upon the Cross for our redemption; who made there, 
(by his one oblation of himself once offered) a full, 
perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, 
for the sins of the whole world &c.' This latter view 
seems to me to be the view which the Holy Spirit 
has given us in the Bible. It is written — 'who gave 
himself a ransom for all.' ' And he is a propitiation 
for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the 
sins of the whole world' 'God so loved the world, 
that he gave his only-begotten Son.' Then follows the 
description of those who will be saved by Christ; 'that 
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have 
everlasting life.' And again ; ' We all like sheep have 
gone astray; we have turned every one to his own 
way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of 
us all." But not to multiply scriptures which might 
be brought in abundance — 'That he, by the grace of 
God, should taste death for every man! Now, when I 
read in the Scriptures of eternal truth such language 
as this — 'a ransom for all, 'should taste death for 
every man,' 'a propitiation for the sins of the whole 
world,' I dare not limit the expressions. I dare not 
restrict 'the whole world' to a part of the world, nor 
'every man' to some men. I dare not do this: I would 
take the comfort of these extensive declarations of mercy. 
I would dispense them as the word of the Spirit dis- 



CCC11 



THE LIFE OF 



penses them, in all the length, and breadth, and depth, 
and height of the compassionate love they testify; 
and the difficulties that crowd about the question 
I would reverently leave to be explained by the all-wise 
God at the last day. In that day, upon a view of 
his now mysterious dispensations, the Hosts of Heaven 
will adoringly cry aloud — ' He hath written all things, 
and he hath done all things well.'" 

To the dogma of irrespective personal election, whe- 
ther he held it or not, or in whatever degree he held 
it, it is certain that Mr. Housman never referred as a 
ground of comfort. Indeed, it exercised just as little 
influence over him as it did over those who walked 
with God, and beheld the glory of his countenance, 
under the Patriarchal and Jewish dispensations. From 
the pulpit, during a ministry of nearly sixty years' con- 
tinuance, he had uniformly urged the general promises 
of the Gospel; and it was on these that he himself 
relied. It is worth remarking too, that whilst many 
very eminent Calvinists have been harassed in their 
dying moments by fears which seem to have been a 
re-action of this doctrine, Mr. Housman's mind, in the 
closing hours of life, was happily exempt from even 
the shadow of an apprehension. I do not believe 
that the slightest doubt ever crossed it. An undis- 
turbed serenity, as brilliant as it was cloudless, pos- 
sessed his soul. 

August 10, 1822. 

MY DEAR E , 

I have been distressed several times lately on hearing 
incidentally that you seem to gather no strength; or 
rather, that the pain in your stomach appears more 
permanent. He who loves you with an infinitely 
better and wiser love than any earthly friend can pos- 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCC111 



sess, appoints you every pain. Not a sparrow falls 
without his permission. Surely then, whoever has 
taken hold of the Covenant, by fleeing for refuge to 
the great gospel Hope, has nothing to fear when droop- 
ing with the severest anguish. He or she is of more 

value than many sparrows. There is a golden chain, 

one end of which is held firmly by the hand of cove- 
nant and eternal mercy, and the other end is indisso- 
lubly fastened to the soul which believeth in Jesus. 
Upon every intermediate link, "Wisdom, Love, and 
Faithfulness," are written; and it is the business of 
faith, with its realizing eye, to read the writing, and 
to convey the joyful tidings to the afflicted child of 

God. It is but a short time, my dear E , and 

the unbroken chain will be drawn up to heaven; and 
the soul, secure in its grasp, will rejoice before The 
Throne. We are disposed to imagine that it would 
have been quite as safe, and much more pleasant, if 
every link had been silken ; but, with all our sinfulness 
and all our wretched gravitation to the earth, the silk 
might have given way, and ruin have received us. If 
the chain has galled us, we should remember that it 
is formed of gold ; and what we have lost in point of 
ease, we shall have gained in point of security. 

To a certain person whom I highly esteem and cor- 
dially love, and who perhaps will not be a mile from 
your elbow when you read this note, pray offer my 
affectionate remembrances, and grateful acknowledg- 
ments for what was transmitted on Saturday last. May 
she and you, and all yours, and I and mine, enjoy all 
the blessedness which is connected inseparably with a 
full answer to the petition which I am endeavouring 
to consider as the subject for next Sunday — t( I beseech 
thee, shew me thy glory." Then, under the most clear, 
realizing perceptions of the solemnities of the Last 



ccciv 



THE LIFE OF 



Day, we should silence every alarm, in the language 
of a good man whom a friend of mine was privileged 
to see on a bed of sickness — 'I know the Judge.' 

Press forward, my dear friend, endeavouring to ex- 
ercise daily humiliation for sin, and a daily acceptance 
of Christ, as wisdom and righteousness and sanctifica- 

tion and redemption. * * * I am, my dear E 's 

very affectionate friend 

Robert Housman. 

The text here mentioned as forming the basis of a 
discourse, supplied him with a frequent subject of 
meditation during the declining months of his life. 
" Shew me thy glory" he would often exclaim, in accents 
scarcely above a whisper ; and occasionally, on perceiving 
that his fervent ejaculations were overheard, would 
expatiate upon the ennobling topic with somewhat of 
the spirit and power of former days. "Shew me thy 
glory" he considered equivalent to "Shew me thy 
goodness." The glory of the Lord, as an object of 
desire to sinners, is the moral loveliness of the Lord — 
exhibited, first in his pardoning mercy, and subsequently 
in his sanctifying grace; and the light of the knowledge 
of this glory shines with completed brightness in the 
face of Jesus Christ. To pray that we may see the 
glory of God, and to pray that we may attain to ampler 
discoveries of the excellency of the Saviour, are, in 
fact, but different modifications of one and the same 
thing. "Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the 
Lord," (and such a mirror is Immanuel, the express 
image of the Father) " we are changed into the same 
image, from glory to glory." The change is spiritual ; 
the glory is holiness. "We have sinned, and come 
short of the glory of God." Here, by a way of contrast, a 
figure in which the apostolic writings abound, the matter 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCCV 



is conclusively explained. The glory of God, and sin, 
being put in direct opposition, the former is manifestly 
shewn to be perfect moral or spiritual purity. Light 
and Love — purity of nature, and benevolence of charac- 
ter; this is the glory of the Lord God Almighty and 
the Lamb. 

Friday Morning, Sept. 20, 1822. 

MY VERY DEAR FRIENDS, 

The vicissitude of seasons has many comforts. In 
Winter we anticipate Spring, and a renovated earth. 
In Spring we are often chilled with what we call un- 
genial weather, and are pleased with the prospect of 
Summer's warmth. In Summer we look forward to 
the luxuriant abundance of Autumn; and in Autumn 
we enjoy the prospect of a winter evening's fire. But 
does Autumn give rise to no other anticipation of 
pleasure*? For several seasons / have enjoyed the 
prospect of the Silverdale swallows migrating back again 
to the warmer climate of a town habitation. Another 
month will, I hope, bring you. They who, in this life, 
expect many friends (I mean such as deserve the name) 
will surely be disappointed. When we have found a 
few, we should surely make much of them; and the 
anticipated comfort of meeting them after a long absence 
is not of small estimation. But friends, and all things 
else, are only to us, in point of solid joy, what the 
Lord is pleased to make them. 

We have lately had Mr. Buell in our School-room, 
giving a most interesting account of the present prospects 
of the Society for Promoting Christianity among the 
Jews. When there is an arrival of Hebrew Testaments 
(I think in Berlin) it requires the aid of the military 
to prevent the distributors of the Testaments from being 
trodden down by the Jews, in their excessive ardour to 
obtain what they so much value. In Poland and in Bussia 

PP 



cccvi 



THE LIFE OF 



mighty things are coming to pass. At the present 
moment there is a young converted Jew of the name 
of Wolfe, actually proclaiming the Messiah in that very 
Jerusalem where the Messiah lived and died and arose 
in triumph. The Society in London wished to check 
for .a little while the zeal of this young Missionary, 
until a person of maturer age could accompany him. 
But to him, delay was like death, and he exclaimed 
" You might as well tear out my heart." He offered to 
set off as a beggar (which I think he did) with a 
bundle of Testaments upon his back. He was taken by 
the Arabs, but treated kindly, and arrived in safety at 
Mount Zion, to preach the transactions of Mount 
Calvary, and doubtless to be the instrument, partially 
at least, of the fulfilment of the prophecy " They shall 
look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall 
mourn." Surely, the Sun of Righteousness is about to 
attain the zenith, and to warm and fructify the whole 
of our fallen and ruined world. ***** 

Robert Housman. 

He believed, not only that the Jews will be ga- 
thered together as a nation, and, as such, become a 
spiritual people unto God, but that, when thus collected 
and converted, they will be the principal means, and 
perhaps the principal messengers, of salvation to the 
whole world: that being brought home to the fold of 
Christ, they will fly, impelled by faith and love, into 
every corner of the earth, and plant triumphantly the 
banner of the Cross. He thought, moreover, as the 
conclusion of the foregoing letter evinces, that these 
times of glory were rapidly advancing; "nor is it un- 
likely," he writes five months later, "that many of 
the children in our congregations may live to see the 
fulfilment of that sublime prophecy — ' A nation shall 



THE REV. R. H0U6MAN. 



cccvii 



be born in one day'; may live to see Jew and Gentile 
kneeling together in the same house of prayer, and re- 
membering the death of the despised and blessed Jesus 
at the same table." 

On the subject of the Millennium, to which he thought 
the conversion of the Jews would be directly conducive, 
Mr. Housman's opinions were very decided. In the 
year 1829, the topic having been previously introduced 
among the congregation of St. Anne's by his curate, 
and connected with all sorts of crazy and extravagant 
fancies, he felt it his duty, though conscientiously disin- 
clined to the discussion of speculative questions, to 
speak out unreservedly in the face of the people. "The 
doctrine that Jesus Christ is again coming to dwell 
visibly upon the earth," he says, "1 believe to be 
entirely unsanctioned by the word of God ;" — and having, 
under the first general head of his discourse, addressed 
himself to shew "that the Scriptures teach, most plainly 
and positively, that the blessed Saviour will continue 
at the right hand of God in heaven, until he shall 
come, at the last day, to judge the quick and the 
dead ;" and under the second head, <e that the Established 
Church maintains the same truth," (a position to which, 
valuing the Establishment as he did, he attached great 
importance, and which is supported by extracts from 
the Three Creeds, and the Collects for the First and 
Third Sundays in Advent); he proceeds, in the last 
division of his sermon, to explain his own ideas of the 
nature of the Millennium. After citing the ten first 
verses of the twentieth chapter of the Apocalypse, he 
contends for a spiritual interpretation of the whole of 
the passage, as more agreeable with the general style 
of the enigmatical book which contains it, and as less 
subversive of the undeniable sense of the plain and 
unfigurative portions of the Bible, than a literal inter- 



CCCV111 



THE LIFE OF 



pretation. " Christ/' he continues, "will be to all 
men then, what he is to some men now. He will 
reign among the nations of the earth, as he now 
reigns among the churches of the earth ; the universal 
prevalence and ascendancy of the principles of the Gospel, 
will make whole countries of 'faithful men,' as the 
partial ascendancy and prevalence of those principles 
now make companies of 'faithful men.' Christ will 
reveal himself to the world, as he now reveals himself 
to them who are not of the world. There will be an 
universal rejoicing in his presence, and in the power 
of his spirit. He will be 'Immanuel,' in different 
degrees, to all hearts : and repentance, faith, righteousness, 
peace, purity, and love, will flourish and abound. Grace 
will triumph then, as nature triumphs now." " We 
shall not live to witness the glory of the latter day," 
he elsewhere says, "but we can ascend upon the 
Pisgah of the Promises, and behold it steadily advancing. 
By that faith which is the evidence of things not seen, 
we can behold Satan bound, and the Lord Jesus 
reigning triumphantly. We can hear him say to the 
North 'Give up,' and to the South 'Keep not back. 
Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the 
ends of the earth.' We can behold the dominion of 
universal righteousness and peace ; when man shall cast 
off his selfishness, and feel for his fellow man; when 
deceit, and trick, and fraud, shall be known no more; 
when bars, and bonds, and law, are no longer needed — 
for principle will be the bar against injustice; and 
love the bond of security ; and the law of God, written 
in the heart by the Holy Ghost, will make human laws 
useless. Oh! let us adoringly say, in the language 
of adoring David, ' Now, therefore, our God, we thank 
thee, and praise thy glorious name.' " He corroborates 
his opinions as to the personal reign of Christ by those 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cccix 



of the commentators Scott and Guyse, on which he 
bestows the approbation of an entire acquiescence. "I 
have no hesitation," he adds, "in using, in reference 
to the unscriptural notion of Christ's personal reign 
upon earth, the strong language of one from whom in 
the days of my youth I derived advantages of eternal 
moment; I allude to the venerable and holy Simeon. 
e It is,' says that highly honoured servant of God, 'the 
greatest calamity that ever befel the Church.' " Similar 
sentiments, no less positively announced, I heard him 
deliver at Greenfield at the latter end of 1834, on 
which occasion he said — " One of my chief objections 
to the theory is, that it leaves Heaven without an 
Intercessor : and, according to the epistle to the Hebrews, 
there is always an Intercessor there. Besides, the 
comparative smallness of the number of those who could 
benefit by the personal abode of the Saviour upon the 
earth, is of itself fatal to the whole system." This 
objection, he observed, does not apply to the future 
enjoyment of Christ in heaven; "for there" he added, 
"we are told that we shall see him; and we shall be 
like him — all our powers divinely assimilated to the 
infinite perfections of his attributes." 

Dec. 11, 1822. 

MY DEAR RICHARD, 

Oar E r (for I consider her my child as well 

as your sister) has read to me a part of your last 
letter to her. It is indeed matter of rejoicing, that 
the Lord seems to be leading you on to a better world, 
and not with tardy steps. Besides the general pro- 
mises made to those who call upon the name of the 
Lord, there is a particular promise which belongs, ex- 
clusively perhaps, to those of your years; "They that 
seek me early, shall find me." The advantages of 



cccx 



THE LIFE OF 



early seeking are numerous and immense. Long habits 
of evil are not then formed. The soul is in its vigour, 
and can pursue high objects without weariness, except 
from the common operations of depravity. The mind 
is free from the suspicion that religion is resorted to 
merely because the world is receding, and can be en- 
joyed no longer. And the Lord is peculiarly glorified, 
when, in the full view and prospect of all the allure- 
ments and promises of the earth, the youthful heart can 
say unto the Lord "Whom have I in heaven but 
thee 4 ? — and there is none upon earth that I desire 
beside thee." 

It appears however from your letter, that you know 
"what sore temptations mean." There are two scriptures 
with which you have been harassed ; " For if we sin 
wilfully" &c. Heb. x. 26. This scripture evidently 
refers to determined and final apostasy. See verse 23. 
" Let us hold fast the profession of our faith, " &c. 
Here is a warning against apostasy ; see verses 28, 29. 
The Apostle is here referring to the person who des- 
pised Moses's law; and thence infers the far heavier 
punishment which would come upon that unhappy 
wretch who should tread under foot the Son of God, 
and count his blood an unholy thing. Here is a sup- 
position that contempt is felt and manifested towards 
Jesus and his atonement, and that there is a rejection 
of salvation by his blood. For all such "there remaineth 
no more sacrifice for sin." The one great sacrifice is 
refused, and refused with insult ; and there remaineth 
none besides. Hence destruction is unavoidable. 

This seems most clearly to be the design of the 
Apostle's reasoning. If the words "sin wilfully" could 
possibly be construed as relating to a sin committed by a 
professor, against knowledge and the remonstrances of 
conscience (for this is wilful sin) not one soul could 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cccxi 



possibly be saved; for where is the believer who has 
not, in the absence of the exercise of his principles, 
and under the power of a pressing temptation, commit- 
ted, at some time or other, what he knew to be contrary 
to the will of God % 

The suspicion of having committed the sin against 
the Holy Ghost, is, at some periods of their experience, 
a heavy trial, perhaps to every one who will attain the 
kingdom of heaven. But if I mistake not, the Evan- 
gelist St. Mark (Chap. iii. v. 30.) teaches us the 
nature of this sin; "Because they said "he hath an 
unclean Spirit.' " To ascribe, with malice and enmity, 
(for such was the case of the Jews) the operations of 
the Holy Spirit to the power of the Devil, seems to 
be the offence alluded to. Perhaps our Lord, in these 
awful passages, intended to refer to the descent of the 
Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. If his enemies, 
who had rejected all the evidences of his miracles, 
should reject that last and grandest evidence of his 
mission, afforded by the plentiful effusion of the Holy 
Ghost, and should maliciously ascribe the whole to satanic 
influence, their case was hopeless. They blasphemed 
against the Holy Ghost. They would never be renewed 
unto repentance: they would not be forgiven. An 
Old Divine very well described the unpardonable sin, 
by saying ff It is light and spite." They who repent 
and believe the Gospel ; yea, they who unfeignedly seek 
repentance and remission of sins through the blood of 
Jesus, have the inward witness that, through grace, the 
unpardonable sin has not been committed by them. 

I have written in great haste, for if I had not done 
so you could not have heard from me at present. I 
have been peculiarly engaged throughout the day. I 
am, my dear Bichard, your affectionate friend 

BOBERT HOUSMAN. 



CCCX11 



THE LIFE OF 



Jan. 1, 1823. 

My dear E must never judge of my heart by 

my hand. The former,, I know, can feel; and the 
latter, I know, is tardy; and what I have to lament is 
this — that the love of ease seems to be increasing upon 
me, so that I shall have need of all the charity which 
the few whom I call my friends can possibly exercise, 
to shelter me from the suspicion of insensibility, or in- 
gratitude, or unkindness, or I know not what. 

[After some remarks upon his correspondent's health, 
which was interrupted about this time by frequent 
attacks of excessive pain, Mr. Housman proceeds as 
follows.] 

But in the midst of my anxious conjectures, I well 
know that you are in the hands of him who saith " I 
am the Lord who healeth thee." To his will and 
covenant love I would at least resign you with confi- 
dence and comfort. I shall indeed rejoice to hear that 
it has pleased the Father of mercies to mitigate your 
sufferings ; and if my poor prayers could end them, 
they would soon be ended. 

I send a few " crumbs " from the table of St. Anne's, 
not to " a sparrow," which is only of the value of half a 
farthing; but to a Bird of Paradise, whose worth, in 
the estimation of unerring judgment, is best learned 
upon the Mount of Calvary. What a price was there 
paid for the redemption of my friend! And how im- 
mense in importance, with all her feebleness, must she 
be in the eyes of angels, and of the Lord of Angels! 
Fear not, my beloved child, "you are of more value 
than many sparrows;" and if perpetual ease were good 
for you, and if that perpetual ease could only be con- 
veyed to you through the creation of another world, 
that other world would instantly be created. 

We have entered upon another year. The review 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCCX1U 



of the past is indeed humbling. To have been half 
asleep on the verge of eternity, and to have experienced 
coldness in the view of redeeming love, should indeed 
fix me in a low room; and with a veil upon my face, 
when I attempt to look to the Mercy-Seat. It is the 
aggravation of all sin, that it has been committed 
against God; and it is the encouragement of a sinner 
that it has been committed against him. No created 
being, no mercy less than inconceivable and boundless, 
could have endured the insult. I remain my dear 

E 's very faithful and affectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 

From a letter dated a fortnight later, and addressed 
to the same friend, I make two extracts. 

"Oh! that Dr. R. may be the honoured instrument 
of sending you back to Lancaster, if not in robust 
health, yet enjoying a freedom from pain. And he 
will be this instrument, if a freedom from pain be among 
the 'all things' which are to work together for your 
good. But we know not the consequences of any dis- 
pensations until the event explains them. But one 
thing we know (and may this one thing be duly felt 
and valued) that 

1 Jehovah's ways, in wise design, 

Are framed upon his throne above, 
And every dark or bending line 

Meets in the centre of his love. 

' With feeble light, and half obscure, 

Poor mortals his arrangements view, 
Unmindful that the least are sure, 

And the mysterious just and true.' 

"Or, in the language of the same excellent man and 
author — 

'Though now the storms of sorrow roar, 

And raise of cares a troubled sea, 
Yet, when I land on yonder shore, 

There shall be calm enough for me. 



cccxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



Why, then, for tempests should I care, 
Since they but drive me sooner there ? ' 

"But it is far easier to quote, or even to write poetry, 
than to say, in the midst, of suffering, and to say it 
with the whole heart and soul, f My Father is doing 
all things well."' 

The next extract refers to some delay which had 
arisen in the preaching of a particular sermon. 

"I have no doubt that it has been providentially 
delayed for some important reason. A* poor sparrow 
cannot fall without divine permission ; nor can a sermon, 
upon gospel principles, be preached, but at the right 
time, and to the right persons. I think I have known 
consequences to result from what some would call 
accidental circumstances, which fully sustain the truth 
of this observation. In the divine administration, the 
difference between what we call little and great occur- 
rences is annihilated. There is nothing little; for it 
is under the control of the Great God, and is leading 
on to some great event." 

Friday Morning, April 22nd, 1S23. 

MY DEAR E , 

The anxiety which I experienced yesterday concerning 
the alarming indisposition of your invaluable father, and 
my long-tried friend, is converted, by the painful accounts 
of increasing malady, received this morning, into the 
most unfeigned sorrow. If condolence would benefit 
either you or yours, that condolence, neither scanty nor 
cold, is rendered. But alas ! there are times when 
human friendship can do but little, and we are left to 
grieve at our inability. 

All that I can do, under existing circumstances, is 
to offer up my feeble prayers for all the family, and 
to remind you of the " Consolation of Israel." The 
government is upon his shoulders, and a sparrow is not 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCCXV 



exempted from his providential appointment. The pillars 
which support his throne are the everlasting and beautiful 
pillars of Wisdom, Rectitude, Faithfulness, and Love, 
though sometimes clouds and darkness are round about 
him. May his choicest comforts visit your dear lan- 
guishing father, and rest now, and for ever, on the 
whole family. 

I regret that I am not able to see you all in your 
sorrows. I hope that not many days will elapse before 
I shall be able to walk so far. Present to all around 
you my kindest remembrances and most affectionate 

sympathy. I am my dear E 's ever faithful and 

affectionate 

Robert Housman. 

Saturday Evening, 23rd April, 1823. 

MY DEAR E , 

I thank you for the most interesting communication 
which you have sent me. To hear that another of 
the congregation, and that other a most valued friend, 
has been supported in the dark valley by the faith, 
and hope, and promises of the Gospel, is most cheer- 
ing, even in the midst of depression. We have indeed 
occasion to sing of mercy as well as of judgment. The 
judgment is the heavy loss sustained; the mercy is the 
comfortable evidence that we are authorized to look 
into the eternal world and to view the released spirit 
free from sorrow, and sin, and dangers, and swelling 
the everlasting chorus ff Salvation to God and the 
Lamb." What a redemption, and what a Redeemer, 
are we permitted to contemplate ! The former beckons 
us, by its freeness and fulness, to draw nigh; the 
latter pledges the whole glory of his name and cha- 
racter that we shall not draw nigh in vain. Oh ! the 
immensity of the mercy of God in Christ! Let us 
pray to see it ever more and more ; to feel it with 



cccxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



ever-increasing power; and to become monuments of 
its triumphs, in sickness, and death, and judgment. 

Present my kindest respects and sincerest sympathy 
to your valued and afflicted mother. May she have 
heavenly supports which will more than counterbalance 
her earthly and heavy trial. To your dear sisters say 
everything which you know I feel for them. May 
"the strength of Israel" support your feeble frame, 
and likewise "strengthen you with strength in your 

soul." I am my very dear E s most faithful 

and affectionate friend 

Robert Housman. 

The indisposition alluded to in a previous page was 
of a very alarming kind. Until the day on which his 
valued friend whose death is recorded in the foregoing 
letter was carried to the grave, Mr. Housman had been 
confined to the house for nine weeks. His complaint 
at first appeared to be a common fever, but afterwards 
it assumed a bilious tendency, accompanied by extreme 
swelling of the legs, and a high degree of inflammation. 
He was in imminent danger; and had it not been for 
the considerate attention of his congregation, who, when 
a more generous mode of living became necessary, 
promptly supplied him with the means of ensuring it, 
he must inevitably have sunk beneath the debilitating 
effects of his disease. "I cannot tell you," says Mrs. 
Housman, writing to one of her children, "how kind 
our friends have been on this occasion. One day your 
dear father received, anonymously, two presents of £3 
and a £5 note — for the purpose, we conclude, of ob- 
taining good medical advice; and Port, Madeira, and 
Sherry, have been sent us as freely as if they were of 
no more value than water. Could he have taken a 
gallon a day, it would, I am sure, have been plentifully 



THE KEY. R. HOU6MAN. 



cccxvii 



provided. Indeed, wine has come in such quantities 
that we might have stocked our cellar had we felt 
disposed to do so. In how different a manner are the 
ministers of the Gospel treated now to what they were 
when prisons, stripes, and martyrdom, were their re- 
compense!" 

April 27th, 1823. 

MY DEAR E R, 

I am sincerely sorry that your domestic affliction 
should be accompanied by internal darkness. But no 
new thing has happened unto you. I well remember, 
that under a bereavement of the severest nature, I was 
left, for weeks and months, under a soul-distress ap- 
proaching almost, if not altogether, to despair. The 
enemy was permitted to come in like a flood, and I 
was everything but overwhelmed. But better days 
succeeded; and bright prospects are reserved, (and I 
trust at an early period) for my dear friend. 

But the question arises — What is now to be done 4 ? 
I answer; — Do not perplex yourself with endeavouring 
to ascertain what has been the depth, or even the 
reality, of your former experience. From such inves- 
tigations, in moments of gloom — perplexity and tumult, 
instead of light and comfort, will frequently arise. 
Begin this day, as if you had never begun before. Look, 
not at the promises, for the enemy may suggest a 
doubt whether they belong to you; but look at the 
invitations and encouragements, which do belong to 
you, because they are addressed to "every creature" 
where the Gospel comes. View the gracious nature 
and character of the Lord, in Ezekiel xxxiii. 11. II. 
Tim. ii. 21. Bev. xxii. 17. Micah. vii. 18. II. 
Cor. v. 20. 21. Look at these scriptures again and 
again, praying for the Spirit's light that you may see 
the adorable willingness and delight of the Lord to 



cccxvm 



THE LIFE OF 



save and bless all who are willing to be saved and 
blessed, through the redemption of Jesus. These views, 
which the Scriptures warrant and command, will beat 
down unbelief; will humble you under the recollection 
that such a God in Christ has ever and often been 
forgotten; will lead your soul to flee, with cheerfulness 
and alacrity, to Jesus for refuge ; and will excite afresh 
your love to that Saviour who "loved you and gave 
himself for you." These simple directions will, I doubt 
not, under the divine blessing, bring you again into 
peace. 

I regret that circumstances prevent you from coming 
up to Greenfield, and that my continued lameness pre- 
vents me from walking down to see you. In an in- 
terview, statements can be made, and objections an- 
swered, which cannot be done in a short and hasty 
note. May the Lord revive, sanctify, and bless you. 

I am my very dear E r s affectionate friend, 

Robert Housman. 

September 24, 1823. 

I have been too long and too well acquainted with 

my dear E r, not to be quite certain that the 

usual token of affectionate remembrance will be cordially 
welcomed by her. It is one great comfort attendant 
on a friendship founded on christian principles, that we 
have not to look at our friend through a veil, and that 
often nearly impenetrable. There is nothing sinister, 
nothing which needs and courts concealment. All this 
simulation and dissimulation belongs only to the inter- 
course of a "world lying in wickedness." Without 
guile is the inscription written upon a christian heart. 
We can therefore, after some confidential acquaintance, 
know with very considerable accuracy how the few 
whom we really love will feel towards us, under almost 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cccxix 



every possible variety of circumstance and situation. 

As my dear E r's friend, and possessing perhaps 

some portion of what is called sensibility, I am disposed 
to mourn that you are in pain, and that you are inter- 
dicted for a considerable time from all activity. As 
a Christian friend I doubtless ought rather to rejoice. 
The Redeemer who loved you and gave himself for you, 
has seen it right to shelter you in the valley from many 
a storm which might have beaten upon you. We 
know but little what an awful bearing perpetual ease 
and health and sunshine might have upon our everlast- 
ing destiny. The joys of the world, as well as the 
sorrows of the world, might work death, even death 
eternal. Fear not; you are of more value than all the 
material universe which God has created. Your soul 
is to survive the wreck of matter: your soul, therefore, 
is a higher object to him who died for you, than the 
stupendous fabric which he is upholding by the word 
of his power. He will therefore plan for you with 
all his wisdom, and with all the depths and heights 
of his love; and if, in the execution of his plans of 
wonder and grace, he sees it necessary to place you 
in the furnace, you know, and at seasons you will feel 
and say, "My Father, God, is doing all things well." 
Remember, my very dear child, that the Saviour him- 
self was made perfect through sufferings ; and that all 
who hereafter will see him as he is, must, in some 
measure, while in this world, be led through a similar 
dark avenue to the world of light. If he trod a 
thorny path, let not us dream of a path of roses. My 

dear E r has a title, and she knows that she 

has a title, to " a far more exceeding and eternal weight 
of glory:" and though I must feel, yet I dare not 
repine, if she proceeds to her inheritance by a few 
steps of sorrow. 



cccxx 



THE LIFE OF 



Farewell, and believe me to remain my dear 

E r's ever faithful and very affectionate 

Robert Housman. 

From a letter written in the same year I take the 
following passage, in which /' Looking unto Jesus," 
by Isaac Ambrose, a work of which he was a great 
admirer, is strongly recommended. 

' ' I hope you took Ambrose with you, to be one of 
your travelling companions. When the heart is re- 
newed, there is in every case a thirst for holiness ; but 
we do not so soon see the way of attaining the bles- 
sing, to any large extent. Holiness has for its basis 
the love of God in Christ; or rather, this love forms 
its very essence. And this love is attained, in exact 
proportion as the object of love is discovered. Ambrose, 
by developing the character, grace, and offices of the 
Redeemer with so much minuteness, helps forward, 
through the divine blessing, our acquaintance with him. 
In the knowledge of him standeth our eternal life ; and 
in the increasing knowledge consisteth our advancement 
in every holy affection. I recommend my dear Mary 
to read Ambrose upon her knees; for Ambrose, and 
even the Bible, can only be to us what the Lord makes 
them to be. But the Lord has engaged to give his 
Holy Spirit to them that ask him." 

Saturday, Half -past 11. 

"Are you sick, or are you surly?" was a question 
which Dr. Johnson asked his friend Bos well, who had 
omitted to write to him for some time. Will my 

dear E r put the same question to me, or shall 

I put it to E r? Have we been standing upon 

etiquette? Who should have broken silence? Per- 
haps the point cannot be easily ascertained; there may 
be conflicting reasons. What are they? 



THE REV. R. HO USMAN. 



cccxxi 



You are a lady, and, as such, may be standing on 
your peculiar privileges. I am an old man, and may 
plead "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head." 
But without attempting to settle the important difficulty, 
I will shew my magnanimity and begin first. And 

now, my dear E — r, let me ask you — how is your 

health, mental and bodily 4 ? In both I feel an interest 
The latter, sooner or later, must give way; the former 
can wax stronger and stronger. Our natural powers 
acquire vigour by persevering exercise ; and there is some- 
thing analogous to this in the Lord's method of com- 
municating his grace. He blesses the diligent soul; 
he suffers the slothful to feel the mortification and the 
disgrace of crying out, "My leanness, my leanness." 
I believe, my dear child, that he has not only called 
you with a holy calling, but that he has girt you up 
with a steady resolution to seek, without wavering, for 
glory, and honour, and immortality. Go forward, re- 
joicing in your title, your privileges, and your prospects. 
Your title is high — a child of God. Your privileges 
are immense — communion, through meditation and 'prayer, 
with the blessed Trinity. Your prospects are nothing 
less than a perfect likeness to your Redeemer, and an 
everlasting nearness to the Throne of Love. 

If you have not yet seen the Life of Mr. Scott, 
there is a high treat in reserve for you. In going 
through the volume, every step seems to be on holy 
ground. 

Farewell, my dear E r. I am stealing time 

from to-morrow's sermon ; and I must not increase the 
theft. But it is always a sacred duty with me to 
fulfil, if possible, every intimation I have given; and I 
said last week that you should hear from me to-day. 
Yours very affectionately, 

Robert Housman. 

r r 



CCCXX11 



THE LIFE OF 



The following letter, addressed to his daughter Eli- 
zabeth, now Mrs. Prichard, is presented to the public 
under interesting circumstances. A few months ago, 
Mr. Prichard's house at Woodside near Liverpool, a 
new and handsome residence, caught fire, and, an 
exceedingly high wind raging at the time, was destroyed 
in less than two hours. Mrs. Prichard, having provided 
for the safety of her children, rushed into the dining- 
room to secure the admirable portrait of her father by 
Lonsdale — that from which the beautiful engraving at 
the beginning of this volume is taken. Her heroic 
tenderness was rewarded with success ; tearing the valued 
relic from the wall, she bore it uninjured in her arms 
to a considerable distance from her desolated home. 
Her next attempt was to possess herself of a small 
bundle of Mr. Housman's letters that lay in a casket 
up stairs; the fire, however, had increased to so alarm- 
ing an extent as to render the accomplishment of her 
purpose impossible, and immediately afterwards the roof 
fell in. Among the papers destroyed were several most 
interesting communications from Mr. Housman's pen, 
which Mrs. Prichard had been arranging for my use 
the previous day. The original of the subjoined letter, 
of which a copy had fortunately, perhaps providentially, 
been made some years before, perished in the flames. 

MY DEAREST ELIZABETH, 

I felt thankful when a gracious providence had con- 
ducted you in safety to Tarvin, and I felt gratified at 
your punctuality in writing. Dr. Johnson observes that 
" we can only have our parents once." Whenever your 
parents are removed, both you and Agnes may remember 
with satisfaction that you very much contributed to the 
comfort of our declining years. My heart's desire and 
prayer to God for both of you is this — that you may 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cccxxiii 



walk before him as a reconciled Father through Christ 
Jesus, and find your happiness in the manifested light 
of his countenance, and then be admitted to dwell with 
him in his everlasting kingdom. 

This world is vanity and worse than vanity ; it is 
full of snares, and dangers, and disappointments, and 
sorrows. It is not God. It cannot bestow redemption 
to a sinful soul; it is unable to give a hope full of 
immortality; it deceives, and the love of it destroys all 
real comfort; and if the love of it be persevered in, it 
will destroy with a sore destruction. Arise, then, my 
dearest child, through the power of supplicated grace, 
far above its polluted and perilous atmosphere. Set 
your affections on things above; and, to this end, read 
your Bible, and be often in prayer. 

In the Bible the Lord himself speaks to you words 
whereby you may be saved; and be very mindful, 
whenever you read the Scriptures, to read them with 
prayer for the light and teaching of the Holy Spirit. 
The Holy Spirit reveals no new truths; he opens the 
understanding to behold the importance and excellence 
of what is already revealed; and when the importance 
and excellence are discovered by his sacred light, they 
are felt with power upon the heart. When, therefore, 
you are about to open your Bible, let the supplication 
arise unto the Lord, " Lord, send out thy light and 
thy truth. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold 
wondrous things out of thy law." You will then read 
with profit, with comfort, and with salvation. 

Be often in prayer. The object of all prayer is 
God; but it has pleased him to reveal himself in the 
human nature of Jesus. So says the Saviour; "The 
Father dwelleth in me," and "He that hath seen me 
hath seen the Father." Whether, therefore, we address 
the Father through the mediation of the Son, or 



cccxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



whether we address the Son immediately and directly, 
or whether we address the Holy Spirit, we address 
the One Gracious God, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, as dwelling in the humanity of Jesus, as in a 
temple. This view of God, in and through Jesus 
Christ, should inspire us with hope and confidence 
notwithstanding our sins and defilements, for we are 
speaking to him, who, when he sojourned on the earth 
in a body of flesh, never cast out one sincere supplica- 
tion; he always filled the hungry with good things; 
and he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. 

The subjects of prayer are many, but the three fol- 
lowing you must always keep in remembrance. Pray 
for such a view of sin, inward and outward, as will 
habitually scatter all carelessness in the great concern 
of salvation, and keep you humbled and abased before 
an often neglected God. Pray for the Holy Spirit to 
shew you the glory, and grace, and redemption of the 
Saviour, that your heart may be fixing its sole reliance 
for mercy on the atoning blood which was shed at 
Calvary for your sins. Pray for such a scriptural 
hope and assurance that Jesus has cleansed you from 
all your sins, that your soul may ascend unto him in 
the exercise of love and gratitude, and that you may 
seek to honour him in thought, word, and deed. 

These few directions, my dear child, I would endea- 
vour to give you, if I knew I were to die the next 
hour. I ask not for my children riches or honours; 
I ask not worldly distinctions of any kind; but I do 
ask for them the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost. 

I am my dearest Elizabeth's very affectionate father 

Robert Housman. 

Four years previously, in a letter to another corre- 
spondent, he had thus written. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCCXXV 



"I conjure you, as you value the growth of spiritual 
grace; nay, as you value the very existence of spiritual 
grace; be diligent in the work of secret meditation and 
prayer. Oh! be much in this work, and be earnest in 
it. Study to be serious in the most serious of all 
concerns — the concern of your eternal soul. Converse 
with your own heart, and converse faithfully with it. 
Examine its movements and dispositions. Hear what 
report it brings in concerning your state before God. 
Come, if you can, to a thorough acquaintance with 
your condition and your prospects for another world: 
and that you may press on in the solemn business of 
self-examination, and bring it to a saving effect, retire 
often from the cares and the bustle and the company 
of the world, and let your society at these times be 
none but your conscience and your God. Continued 
meditation, honestly pursued, and 'patiently persisted in, 
will lead to very important discoveries of ruin and re- 
demption. These discoveries will be accompanied by 
prayer; and the distance between prayer and thanks- 
giving, between humbly kneeling at a throne of grace, 
and a joyful station before the throne in glory, is not 
great. They who pray, with the spirit and the under- 
standing, are in the way to receive all the promises 
and all the consolations of God. They who do not 
pray, have not one promise directed to them, and cannot 
receive one consolation from the Comforter. Many are 
the marks which form the boundary line between the 
redeemed Church of Christ and the world which lieth 
in wickedness — between the children of God and the 
children of the Devil; — but there is no mark of 
separation more distinct and decisive, than f the fervent 
prayer of the heart! " 

And nearly about the same time; — 

"Let me affectionately warn you against relaxing in 



cccxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



the habit of secret prayer. Here the tremendous evil 
and ruin of withdrawing from God generally begins. 
I have known multiplied instances, not only of back- 
sliding but of apostasy, and the first fault was always 
here. First omission, and then commission. The 
omission of duty leads infallibly to the commission of 
sin. Beware how you permit the most imperative en- 
gagements to interfere with the sacred time which you 
may have prescribed for purposes of retirement and 
supplication ; there can be no engagements so imperative 
as those of eternity. Oh! beware of neglecting once 
what should never be neglected at all. The transition 
from neglect to desolation is an easy one. Interrupted 
prayer becomes cold and lifeless prayer; and being 
cold and lifeless, it is first disrelished and then laid 
aside. What follows 4 ? The channel of communication 
between heaven and earth is cut off, and the heart is 
left to the poison of its own selfishness and sin. 'A 
prayerless person/ says an old divine, f is a Christless 
and graceless person.' Secret prayer is the power of 
christian life. It is like the strong lock of Sampson. 
Oh ! let every day be a day of supplication, a day of 
pressing forward, a day in which the Lord's salvation 
is either solidly enjoyed or vigorously sought; a day 
of great things, if the Lord will; or such a day of 
small things as the Lord will not despise." 
And again ; — 

" Be careful to avoid in the day what will hinder 
prayer in the evening. The common operations of de- 
pravity, if resisted, will not prevent you from meeting 
God with confidence, to ask his mercy and his grace. 
But sin — any one sin, however small — wilfully or 
heedlessly ventured on, will raise up, perhaps for days, 
perhaps for weeks, a wall of separation between you 
and your God. You will be afraid to come nigh to 



THE REV. R. HODSMAN. CCCXXvil 

him; and he will refuse to draw nigh to you." 

He was urgent too in recommending ejaculatory 
prayer. Nothing tends more to keep alive the sense 
of the omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence of 
the Deity ; and to one who has " received the atonement " 
and "put on Christ/' these sublime attributes, otherwise 
fraught with terror and discomfort, are the foundation 
not only of reverence and awe the most profound, but 
of the sweetest and richest peace. 

"Be darting up to heaven," he says, "short suppli- 
cations throughout the course of every day. Short 
prayers take long flights. They go to the Mercy-Seat, 
and are prevailingly presented to God by the divine 
Intercessor. Does a thought of sin, or of Jesus, or of 
your perishing fellow-sinners, or of the Church of God, 
arise, through the Spirit's grace, within you^ Improve 
the thought. Let it lead you to a prayer. Let God, 
if I may so speak, be your confidant. This habit of con- 
stant discoursing with Him who is invisible, shews a 
mind already spiritual, and makes it more so." 

In speaking of <e small sins," Mr. Housman must not 
be mistaken. The expression, as used in the third of 
the foregoing extracts, has a relative or comparative 
signification. Absolutely, there are no small sins. 
They only seem small ; and they seem so, just because 
our blindness hinders us from seeing more than a 
small part of them. What appears to us the smallest 
sin, has the vital principle of the greatest sin within 
it, and is susceptible of indefinite enlargement. The 
very least sin, if beheld by the light of the infinite 
holiness and infinite purity of God, would be found to 
be infinitely evil. Hence the propriety of Mr. Housman's 
frequent prayer — "Shew me thy glory." 

From a letter to the Rev. Thomas Burrow, at that 
time an under-graduate of Cambridge, the subjoined 



cccxxvm 



THE LIFE OF 



extract is taken. Having mentioned, in connexion 
with advice and counsel, three or four of the most 
fatal dangers incident to a college life, Mr. Housman 
thus proceeds to caution his correspondent. 

"I apprehend that your greatest danger will be in 
something of the following description. You are of 
studious habits ; you have formed the determination, 
and most laudably formed it, to stand high in your 
college, and high in the Senate-House. You may rise 
in the morning to pursue your studies; and, from the 
ardour proceeding from a desire of eminence, you may 
curtail the time which ought to be devoted to the word 
of God and prayer. Then all may go wrong — for the 
Lord will be displeased. I recollect that your late Tutor 
(Mr. W. Higgin) informed me that when he neglected 
his Bible in the morning, nothing prospered ; but when 
he sought and served the Lord after he had risen from 
sleep, a peculiar blessing seemed to come, not only 
upon his soul but upon his subsequent studies. * * 
* # If anything more occurred to me, as likely to 
occasion danger to your best interests, I would mention 
it. But nothing strikes me at present, except it be 
the danger which all are in, of making undue compli- 
ances with the world and its customs. It requires 
wisdom from above to know what are undue compli- 
ances; but attention to the direction 'Let him ask of 
God' will draw down the blessing." 

In these passages Mr. Housman gave advice which 
his own practice had long exemplified. Few men 
were more methodical in the distribution of their time, 
and perhaps none have more exclusively devoted the best 
portions of it to their God. Until within twelve months 
of his death, his daily custom for upwards of half a 
century had been to rise at six in the morning in 
summer, and at seven in winter, and to consecrate the 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cccxxix 



two succeeding hours to engagements of prayer, medi- 
tation, and sacred reading. "The heart/' he used to 
say, "should never go into the world till it has been 
in heaven first." From this habit he did not allow 
even illness to divert him ; and it may be recorded as 
a somewhat remarkable fact, that though repeatedly 
attacked by alarming indisposition, and constitutionally 
subject to excruciating head-aches, (there was scarcely 
a day in which he did not suffer from these distressing 
pains) the economical arrangement of his plans, during 
a space of nearly thirty years, to which the experience 
of my informant is limited, was certainly not interrupted 
more than half a dozen times in a year. Breakfast 
was preceded by family worship, which he designated, 
in the language of Philip Henry, "a hem to all other 
business, to keep it from ravelling." The service 
commenced with the reading of a clause or two in the 
Devotional Testament of the Eev. Eichard Marks, ac- 
companied by the practical "Reflections" contained in 
that work.* Mr. Housman would occasionally introduce 
observations of his own, by way of paraphrase or ex- 
position ; but he more frequently restricted himself to 
the simple words of Scripture, and the remarks of the 
commentator. The prayer which followed was extem- 
pore, and usually corresponded with the passage he had 
been considering ; it was characterized by energetic simpli- 
city of language, by great solemnity of thought, and by a 
peculiarly impressive earnestness of manner. Breakfast 
over, the family withdrew, and he resumed his congenial 
employment of study, self-examination, and prayer. 

His whole life indeed (to use the words of Scougal) 
"was a kind of prayer, a constant course of communion 
with God. If the sacrifice was not always offering, 
yet was the fire still kept alive." And herein lay 

* I speak of the latter years of his life ; formerly he used Scott's Commentary. 

S S 



cccxxx 



THE LIFE OF 



the secret alike of his extraordinary ministerial success 
and of his distinguished personal piety. "Spending as he 
did, for many years," says Mr. Statter, "the greater 
part of every day in private meditation and prayer; in 
realizing and adoring contemplations of the love of 
God in Christ Jesus ; he came forth from his retire- 
ment, his heart and mind deeply imbued, and, if I may 
so speak, impressed and stamped with heaven. Hence, 
in his whole demeanour there was a holiness and 
spirituality, and in his conversation an unction and 
a savour, which few, even eminent christians, attain 
to." And again. "Mr. Housman was a man of much 
prayer. He spent many hours of every day, for many 
years, with God. Hence he was full of the Holy 
Ghost, and therefore so eminently 'a good man' and 
'full of faith;' and thus replenished, and thus blessed from 
above, by his instrumentality much people was added 
unto the Lord." 

In the evening, at eight o'clock precisely, the family 
were again summoned to his room, and a course of 
worship similar in order to that of the morning, but 
appropriately deepened in solemnity, was conducted by 
the venerable master of the house. I have heard few 
prayers more beautiful or more affecting than these his 
evening addresses. They were full of the spirit of grace 
and of supplication; calm, earnest, devout, scripturally 
sententious and weighty, and singularly expressive of 
profoundest affiance in the kindness of the great Being 
at whose footstool he was kneeling. This, the pre- 
dominant characteristic of his prayers, was, however, 
free from any intermixture of presumptuous familiarity. 
He spoke, in the view of Eternity and eternal things, 
and the boldness with which he approached the Mercy- 
Seat was accordingly coupled with awe. He never 
forgot that though he sought the pardon and presence 
of a Father, it was a Father who is in Heaven. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CCCXXxi 

The following note, addressed to an affectionate 
member of his congregation, touchingly records the 
death of his admirable daughter Mrs. Gathorne. She 
died,, full of joy and faith, at Tarvin, on the 28th of 
July, 1825, after an illness of only forty-eight hours' 
duration. 

Sunday Afternoon. 

MY DEAR E 

I thank you for your kind note. My darling Jane 
is enjoying a Sabbath indeed! Hers indeed was the 
abundant entrance. Under excessive debility she was 
enabled to utter, " Whom thou hast redeemed with thy 
precious, most precious blood" — "numbered with thy 
saints in glory everlasting — glory everlasting." But 
after such a life of diligence and spirituality as hers 
has been, I wonder not that she declared that she was 
" happy." Oh ! that all my children, accompanied by their 
father and mother, were this day where my Jane is! 
But the Lord's hand is not shortened. May not a hoof 
be left behind. 

Yours ever affectionately 

Robert Housman.* 

The letter which follows, evinces Mr. Housman's 
feelings upon a subject which moved them strongly. 
Free from every particle of ostentation himself, he had 
a profound aversion to clamorous and obtrusive pro- 
fessors, and shrank, with a sort of instinctive recoil, 
from the contagion of their society. Extraordinary 
impartations of divine favour may be asserted by any 

* Many years prior to the date of this affecting note, Mrs. Housman, then 
on a visit to the same beloved daughter at Lutterworth, thus mentions her in 
a letter to one of her most valued friends. " It is a great mercy to be delivered 
from all distressing apprehensions respecting the everlasting condition of one so 
dear as a first-born child. I have no doubt that an eternal weight of glory will 
be the portion of my Jane, whenever the Lord shall call her hence. Thanks be 
to God for this his unspeakable mercy." 



cccxxxn 



THE LIFE OF 



one; but genuine humility, the necessary fruit of a 
genuine faith, is far from being easily counterfeited. 
Men who are not humble soon grow tired of appearing 
so. " I can ' speak from long and close observation," 
he remarks, a few years prior to the date of the sub- 
joined, " and I can say, that to the best of my recollection 
I never knew a professor turn out well, who did not 
give evidence of real humiliation of heart, whatever he 
might boast of assurance and of comfort." And in 
1834 (Sep. 21.) he thus advises on the same subject; 
"Be satisfied with no hope, with no confidence, with 
no supposed experience, that is not accompanied with 
real poverty of spirit, with self-condemnation for having 
dishonoured God, and with self-abhorrence for your 
disobedience, ingratitude, and rebellion. The Publican's 
posture of soul is the becoming and the safe posture for 
every sinner; and the Publican's prayer, if felt upon 
the heart, will ever find its way, through the interces- 
sion of Jesus, to the heart of Him who has published 
this to be his will — ' Every one that humbleth 
himself shall be exalted.'" 

Lancaster, Jan. 31, 1826. 

MY DEAR RICHARD, 

Instead of a letter you must only have a note, and 
that a short one. I have just finished a long letter on 
some important business, which required calculations; 
my head feels the effect, and I cannot delay the frank 
until to-morrow. 

I saw dear E this afternoon. It appears to 

me that the earthly tabernacle is in nearly the same 
state as when you left Lancaster. Certainly, to my 
apprehension, not worse. But the immortal tenant 
within seems to "wax stronger and stronger." When 
the time comes, she will have an "abundant entrance," 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CCCXXXiii 

if I do not greatly mistake. I have almost universally 
observed, that as humble, cautious, doubting, but con- 
scientious believers, approach nearer and nearer the end 
of their pilgrimage, they acquire renewed strength ; a 
sweeter savour of heavenly things; a fuller assurance 
that all is safe, and that all before them is glory. On 
the other hand, noisy and confident professors often 
lose their confidence when it is most wanted; and 
remind one of the lamentations of the foolish Virgins — 
"Our lamps are gone out." He that walketh humbly, 
walketh surely. 

Mr. Newton used to say — there was "country grace" 
and € * London grace." Do you perceive any difference 
I believe that London abounds with temptations, more 
in number, and perhaps fiercer in their onset, than 
temptations in the country. But it may be that the 
difference is annihilated when the promise "My grace 
is sufficient for thee" is realized in its truth, and 
rested on in the simplicity of earnest prayer. If the 
form of him who walketh with us be like the Son of 
God, a burning fiery furnace cannot touch a hair of our 
heads; but if his grace be not implored, the stillness 
of a summer's evening may even overthrow us. To 
that grace I would commend my young friend. Pray 
much, and cleave unto the Lord Christ with purpose of 
heart — and to live will be Christ, and to die will be gain. 

I am, my dear Richard, your affectionate friend 

Robert Housman. 

Commensurate with his antipathy to spiritual pride 
and mock humility, was the condescending gentleness 
with which he encouraged the smallest beginnings of 
religion, if but sincere. How fondly he cherished the 
lambs of his flock, and tempered to them the cold 
wind, let those say, and there are numbers, who have 



cccxxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



experienced his pastoral care, and the graciousness of 
his tender love, in seasons when love and care were 
needed most. Knowing as he did that the ordinary 
operations of the Spirit of God upon the spirit of man 
are gradual, and that the vast work of salvation, ana- 
logously to the whole course and economy of nature, 
is progressive, the slightest indication of an inner change, 
the least trait of Christ's image, excited at once his 
interest, his energies, and his hope. He was one of 
the last men in the world to despise the day of small 
things. "In the divine administration there is nothing 
little ; for it is under the control of the Great God, 
and is leading on to some great event." This conviction, 
and it was habitual, helped to promote, not only the 
spiritual advancement of others, but his own ; for whilst 
they were benefitted by the zealous vigilance it suggested 
in their pastor, the sources of philanthropic sympathy 
were enlarged, and deepened, and multiplied, in him. 
These are advantages that would not so readily have 
resulted from a belief in immediate and completed 
transformations of the moral being. 

On the subject of Christian Perfection, Mr. Housman's 
opinions may easily be inferred. The doctrine of absolute 
and sinless perfection he peremptorily rejected as alto- 
gether groundless; and the fact that it is invariably 
thus rejected, (either expressly by words, or indirectly, 
though not the less surely, by the testimony of uniform 
humiliation of soul) by all who approximate most nearly 
to its brightness, presents the strongest possible refutation 
of its arrogant and vain pretensions. The holiest of men 
are the readiest to acknowledge that the activities of 
sin are interminable, and that opposition to sin must be 
unceasing ; but this concession, so far from discouraging 
hope, or paralyzing exertion, contributes to renewed 
and prevailing efforts in the race and warfare of chris- 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CCCXXXV 

tian experience. The most perfected in holiness will 
ever be found to be the most diligent in perfecting 
holiness. The beat, bent, and bias of a soul that hath 
tasted the blessedness of the grace and peace of God, 
is after more. The possession of the unsearchable 
riches of Christ, begets "an avarice of spiritual things," 
and covetous desires that are insatiable. One whom 
the Father "draws," cannot stand still. Christianity 
knows no Bowers of Idleness. Its attainments are 
successively productive of fresh attainments; its conse- 
quences become causes; its triumphs ensure new 
conquests; glory conducts to glory, and strength to 
strength. "Looking unto Jesus," however much of 
conscious happiness it supposes, implies an unreached 
distance, an excellence ungained, untouched and untrod- 
den eminences of light and love. "The purification 
or sahctification of the soul," says Mr. Housman, "is 
a progressive work. It begins with a fear of sin; it 
proceeds to a hatred of sin. It begins by renouncing 
sin in the life; it proceeds to a mortification of sin 
in the heart. It begins by abstaining from iniquity, 
through a sense of its danger; it proceeds to abstain 
from it, through a regard to the will and glory of 
the Lord. It begins in approving and receiving the 
Saviour because he is a needed Saviour; it proceeds to 
love him, and honour him, and obey him, because he 
is experienced to be kind, and gracious, and faithful, and 
altogether lovely. It begins with a spiritual thirst for the 
new heart and the right spirit ; it proceeds to regard the 
Lord supremely, and to say, in the true temper of adoption 
and grace — "Hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come.' 
These, I believe, are the outlines of real purification. 
The complete conformity of the christian to his Lord, 
will not be possessed till the general resurrection. One 
of the Reformers, Beza, in reference to 1. John iii. 3, 



cccxxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



observes — "The apostle does not say has purified, but 
purifieth himself ; that we may understand him to signify 
following after holiness, not the perfect attainment 
of it.' We shall be like him; — when? When he 
shall appear" And in one of his published sermons, 
having maintained, on the authority of Scripture, the 
universality and ineradicableness of human corruption, 
he thus proceeds: — "To those present, if any such 
there be, who imagine themselves free from all sin, I 
would recommend the prayer of Moses, f I beseech thee, 
shew me thy glory.' If you had a thousandth part of 
such a discovery of the Lord's infinite and everlasting 
excellence as he could give you, your dream of perfec- 
tion would be scattered in a moment. Like the Apos- 
tle, in the Isle of Patmos, you would fall at his feet 
as dead; or, if you could utter a sentence, that sentence 
would be ' God be merciful to me a sinner.' " Under the 
privilege of extraordinary discoveries of the divine glory, 
precisely such was the habitual sentiment, and precisely 
such the frequent exclamation of Mr. Housman himself. 
" In retiring from my present situation," he writes, in 
reference to his resignation of St. Anne's, "1 would 
retire with the Publican's prayer on my lips and in 
my heart :" — and not many days before his happy trans- 
lation to the world of spirits, "I would go there," he 
said, " with ' God be merciful to me a sinner' mingling 
with my praises." To use his own beautiful language 
on another occasion — "Through every stage and step of 
life he was clothed with humility; and as he advanced 
into the valley of the shadow of death, he wrapt the 
garment still closer round him." 

To one of the oldest and most affectionate of his 
friends he addressed the following letter, in a season of 
great affliction to his correspondent. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



CCCXXXV11 



MY DEAR SIR, 

I feel considerable anxiety respecting Jane, and I 

should be much obliged if you or A would have 

the goodness to inform me whether the attack upon 
the chest, and all other unpleasant symptoms, are abated. 
I unfeignedly sympathize with you and the family, and 
I would gladly trust that the cause of alarm and anguish 
to your hearts, has subsided. I would pray that the 
dear invalid may have faith to realize the Saviour's 
truth and grace in that invitation of his mercy, fe Look 
unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; 
for I am God, and there is none else." (Isaiah xlv. 22.) 
There is no exception of persons. All are welcome to 
look and apply, to whom the rich invitation is welcome. 
The record is no less encouraging than this — " Let 
him that is athirst come ; and whosoever will" Pray 
give my love to Jane, and tell her that if she and I 
had a ten thousandth part of the impression of the Re- 
deemer's mercy which we ought to feel when we are 
told that he died on a cross for rebellious sinners, the 
effects would be deep humiliation, combined with a 
strong and triumphant faith, and fervent love, and 
adoring thankfulness, and "a desire to depart, and to 
be with Christ." Prayer, fervent and persevering 
prayer, for the Holy Spirit's light and power, will give 
us something both of the impression and the affections. 

I am, my dear Sir, your affectionate friend 

Robert Housman. 

The expected blow was delayed. Two years later, 
Mr. Housman addressed to his friend the following 
letter. Shortly after the receipt of this very beautiful 
communication, the spirit of the beloved daughter 
so affectionately commemorated by it, passed into the 
skies. 

t t 



cccxxxvm 



THE LIFE OF 



Greenfield, November 5, 1829. 

MY DEAR SIR, 

I have purposed, for some time, to express my 
sincere condolence for your heavy trial in the increasing 
weakness of dear Jane. I am a parent, and well know 
a parent's feelings. But your cup of sorrow, I have 
learnt within these last few days, has been delightfully 
mingled with sweet consolation, arising from the peace- 
ful and comfortable state of your child's mind. Nature 
will feel, and ought to feel, or there could be no such 
thing as an experience of resignation to the divine 
will. A stone can feel nothing. It is when props are 
failing; when the objects on which acute affection was 
leaning, are giving way; when prospects of continued 
communion with our dear families are obscured ; it is in 
these seasons of sorrow, and when the heart is bleeding, 
that our principles are put to the test; and happy do 
we find ourselves, when, from a thorough conviction of 
the Lord's unerring righteousness and tender mercy, 
we are enabled to say from the heart, "Thy will be 
done." You, my dear Sir, were called upon, under a 
former dispensation, to sing of mercy as well as of judg- 
ment. You lost your Mary — but it was a loss which 
any christian parent might be thankful to endure. She 
left a bright evidence in the dark valley that all was 
well with her soul. She was then removed from a 
world of danger and sorrow to a world where the Lamb 
that is in the midst of the Throne "shall feed his 
redeemed, and lead them unto living fountains of waters, 
and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 
Your dear Jane may soon be called to join the blessed 
company. Be it so — and let the Redeemer's name be 
magnified. You may have to tread the remaining part 
of your pilgrimage, uncheered by the affectionate society 
of your child; but not uncheered by the thought that 



THE REV. R. HOU8MAN, CCCXXxix 

she is rejoicing in a mansion in her Father's house 
above, safe from every harm, and snare, and fear — and 
receiving from her Saviour's abounding loving-kindness 
the fulness of joy. Thanks be unto our redeeming 
God for appointing to all who seek him, that "as the 
affliction aboundeth, the consolation aboundeth much 
more." 

Will you have the goodness to present my affectionate 
remembrances to dear Jane, and tell her my request is 
this — that she would dwell, in her meditations, very 
especially on two points ; first, that Jesus, by the grace 
of God, tasted death for every one, (Hebrews ii. 9); 
and secondly, that they who receive him with, the soul's 
consent, approbation, and reliance, are the children of 
God. (John i. 12. Gal. iii. 26.) The more we are 
established in the steady realizing belief of these two 
indisputable truths, our application to the Saviour be- 
comes comfortable and habitual ; our peace is confirmed ; 
our hope enters within the veil; our love to the 
Redeemer, and to his people, and to all mankind, be- 
comes a purifying principle; and we obtain a meetness 
for a better world. 

I will thank you to present my kind and christian 

love to Mrs. T and A . I have known, in 

different ways, and rather largely, what the word sorrow 
means ; and I believe that I can truly sympathize, in 
some good degree, with the afflicted. 

My daughter Agnes presents her kind love to dear 
Jane. That you and yours, and I and mine, may 
enjoy the peace which the world can neither give nor 
take away, is the unfeigned prayer of, my dear Sir, 
your faithful and affectionate friend 

Robert Housman. 

The "Mary" mentioned in this interesting letter, ob- 



cccxl 



THE LIFE OF 



tained her immortality in the beginning of the year 
1825. Mr. Housman has referred to her removal in 
these terms: — 

"She had in some degree tried the world; and she 
found it vanity, vexation, wormwood. She tried the 
religion of Jesus; and she found that to be life, 
and substance, and peace, and consolation. In the 
season of her health she sought the Lord; and in the 
time of her sickness the Lord was nigh, with his 
presence and blessing. On the day but one preceding 
her removal she had such a deep view of the unspotted 
purity of God, that her hope was staggered ; and under 
a similar view, the hope of the prophet Isaiah was 
staggered likewise — for even he cried out, 'Woe is me, 
I am undone.' But from the mind of our young friend 
the cloud of trembling and fear was soon scattered, and 
the day of her departure was a day of faith, of triumph, 
and of joy. Speaking of the numbers which she believed 
had gone to glory, and would go to glory, from the 
congregation of St. Anne's, she exclaimed, with a cheer- 
ful confidence, C I am sure / shall rise up to swell the 
chorus. Oh! what a blessed eternity shall we spend 
together! Jesus is every moment more and more 
precious. Jesus has been kind from first to last.' 
Much more, to the same joyful effect, did this dying 
child of God pour forth from her grateful and redeemed 
soul; and much she declared she had to say. But 
utterance failed; she had finished her appointed testi- 
mony ; she had glorified the Lord in the fires ; and she 
was taken from the work of praise on earth, to the 
delight of praise in glory." 

Although, in compliance with a very strongly enter- 
tained conviction of its utter incompatibility with the 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cccxli 



pastoral office, Mr. Housman had invariably refrained 
from any personal interference in the party-politics of 
the day, there were probably few men who took more 
interest in the great national questions that engaged 
public attention and divided public opinion from time 
to time. He had watched, with profound concern, the 
progress of the sacred efforts of his friend Mr. Wilber- 
force in the cause of the abolition of the Slave Trade; 
and when at length, after repeated defeats and accumulated 
discouragements, those unceasing efforts were crowned 
with success, he rejoiced, with the rejoicing of a man 
and a christian, at the glorious and triumphant issue. 
In the benevolent labours of Sir Samuel Romilly too, 
he found an abundant source of the liveliest satisfaction ; 
but whilst he hailed with equal gratitude and hope 
the smallest mitigation of the sanguinary character of 
the Criminal Law, he accounted all abatements, however 
important in themselves, comparatively unavailing, unless 
intended to lead, though gradually yet surely, to the 
entire and unconditional abrogation of the punishment 
of death. In later years, the public measures that 
most powerfully moved him, were the repeal of the 
Test and Corporation Act, the removal of the Catholic 
Disabilities, and the amendment of thePoor Laws. On the 
subject of the Paliamentary Reform Bill he felt but 
slightly. The two former, more directly connected as 
they were with»the moral and religious circumstances 
of the country, demanded and received his deliberate 
consideration; and after maturely balancing the various 
arguments respectively advanced by their advocates and 
opponents, his judgment was given in favour of both 
those influential reformations. Party-feeling ran high 
in Lancaster in 1828 and '29. Petitions from the 
Corporation, the Town, and the Clergy, were severally 
prepared and forwarded to Parliament against the Eman- 



cccxlii 



THE LIFE OF 



cipation Bill; and Mr. Housman was twice formally 
waited on by one of his clerical brethren, and more 
than twice assailed by the obtrusive importunities of an 
indefatigable layman, with a view to obtain his co- 
operation in their active and by no means pacific 
opposition to the claims of their Roman Catholic fellow- 
subjects. He was inflexible. The logic and eloquence 
usually adopted on such occasions were vehemently 
applied, but without effect. He could not be made to 
see either that, the Church was in danger, or that 
political concessions involved religious apostasy. He 
was too good a Protestant to dread Popery, and too 
thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the Gospel to 
persecute it. On principles of christian justice he had 
reasoned, and in the result of his reasoning he confidently 
rested. "My views on the matter," (his sentiments 
were thus recorded in the year 1828, in communicating 
with a highly respectable member of the Society of 
Friends,) " have undergone a change of late. However 
we may be right, and the Catholics wrong, the religion 
of Jesus Christ, I am convinced, cannot be understood 
to sanction the use of coercive measures for bringing 
others to think as we think; and most assuredly we 
have no ground for supposing, from any experience we 
have had, that the use of such measures will ever be 
successful. Indeed, the idea of coercing other men's 
thoughts, is, in itself, when plainly expressed, a glaring 
absurdity." 

That his liberal sentiments on these great questions 
are consistent with the abstract principle on which an 
Established Church is erected, (supposing, as such 
principle does, the right and obligation of giving law 
to opinion) I am far from being prepared to say. 
They are, however, and this is infinitely better, agree- 
able to the mild and merciful and self-denying genius 



THE REV. K. HOUSMAN. 



cccxliii 



of Christianity, the divine origin and vital energies of 
which are seldom more triumphantly attested than when 
exhibited in victorious conflict with cunningly devised 
and formidable systems of human policy.* 

To one of his nieces, from whom a lovely child had 
been suddenly snatched away by death, Mr. Housman 
addressed the following letter of condolence. 

Greenfield, May 13, 1833. 

MY DEAR S A , 

The hand of the Lord hath touched you. You feel : 
and if there were no feeling there could be no resig- 
nation. Dr. Young has beautifully and forcibly said 

' Amidst my list of blessings infinite, 

This stands the foremost, that my heart has bled.' 

You mourn the stroke which has laid a darling child 
in the dust. But repress your sorrow; or rather, take 
your sorrow, in the exercise of humble prayer, to the 
footstool of eternal mercy, and beg of God, for the sake 
of his dear Son, that he would sanctify to you the 
painful dispensation. Your prayer, if believing and 
persevering, will be heard and answered. You will be 
led to see and to know that a heavenly Father's hand 
had mingled the bitter cup which he called you to 
drink, and mingled it with much loving-kindness — with 
loving-kindness to your child and to yourself. She is 
removed from a world of sin, and disappointment, and 
sorrow, both mental and bodily, and full of snares and 
dangers to the immortal soul. Tender was the love, 
and gracious was the hand, which removed her from 
the evil to come. I never can mourn the death of 
infants. Eternity alone can tell us with what an escape 

* Mr. Housman's general politics were those of the Pitt school. He had high 
notions of government, and low notions of popular rights. He carried the theory 
of subordination little short of passive obedience. 



cccxliv 



THE LIFE OF 



they have been favoured. But the word of God 
leads our thoughts far beyond an escape. " Suffer the 
little children to come unto me" was the blessed Savi- 
our's command to his disciples ; and he assigns the 
reason — "for of such is the kingdom of God." Here, 
I apprehend, he refers, not merely to a disposition which 
forms part of the required meetness for abetter world; 
but to a fact, and the fact is this — that ' when infants 
die before they attain to distinguish between good and 
evil, they are, through the merits of the Saviour, re- 
ceived into a better world; and that the number of 
those who die in infancy, is so large a proportion of 
those who die — that of such, it may be said, the 
kingdom of God is largely composed. 

Besides this consideration there is another, which, 
in my judgment, is decisive. At the last day, mankind 
are to be judged according to their works. But infants, 
not being able to distinguish right from wrong, have 
no works by which they can be judged. They are 
therefore* in my view, received, through the infinity of 
the Redeemer's atonement and mercy, into "the number 
which no man can number," and made everlasting 
monuments of the riches of the grace of God. 

But loving-kindness, my dear S A , has 

been richly manifested, not only to your child, which 
is now glorified, but, I would indulge the hope, to 
yourself. In proportion as your child was lovely, your 
danger was considerable. You might have been led 
to idolize your infant ; and thus he who " died for you" 
might have been robbed of your affections, and your 
child might have occupied, with paramount power, your 
thoughts, your time, and your heart. It was a wise 
saying of the good Matthew Henry, " That is best for 
us which is best for our souls." And if you are led, 
through the grace of the Most High, (which grace he 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cocxlv 



will give you if you humbly ask him) to love a Saviour- 
God before all things and all persons, you will eternally 
adore the mercy which took your child to heaven, and 
which cut a string which might have bound you to an 
evil and dangerous world. 

My kind regards to Mr. D . I am, my dear 

S A , Your affectionate uncle, 

Robert Housman. 

I have alluded elsewhere to the straitened condition 
of Mr. Housmans pecuniary resources. For upwards 
of thirty years, certain members of his congregation, 
sensible of the incalculable debt they owed to their 
faithful pastor, and anxious to protect him from the 
paralyzing incursions of poverty, presented him, through 
one of their body, with a liberal yearly gratuity. This 
gratuity, nearly the whole of which, he expended in 
supplying his chapel with a curate, and without which, 
as he states in a letter to Mr. Collisson, he would have 
found it "utterly impossible to pay an assistant," was 
generously continued until the period of his death. For 
many of the last years of his life, his entire income, 
from every available source, did not reach £200 per 
annum; and after his resignation of the Incumbency of 
St. Anne's in 1836, it barely amounted, including the 
congregational benefaction, to <^90. Yet, limited as 
were his means, he contrived, by observing a system of 
rigid domestic economy, to apply very considerable 
sums to purposes of charity and religion : sums far 
more considerable, I may add, than "prudent" and "pro- 
vident " persons would have thought consistent with his 
narrow circumstances. His deep poverty abounded unto 
the riches of his liberality. His benevolence and gene- 
rosity, of which I have had abundant opportunities of 
forming a pretty accurate opinion, were indeed among 

v v 



cccxlvi 



THE LIFE OF 



his most prominent virtues,, and were in vigorous and 
constant exercise. He was never more happy than 
when contributing to the comfort or happiness of others. 
The Lord's poor and the Lord's cause in the world had 
claims upon him which strongly and abidingly interested 
his heart. "The Poor/' he has said, "are objects of 
the tenderest compassion. They and the rich possess 
one common nature. They have the same feelings to- 
wards kindred and children. They are alike involved 
in the ruins of the same Fall. They are included in 
the one general invitation to seek and to receive mercy, 
and peace, and heaven, through Jesus Christ ; and they 
who obtain the 'great salvation,' whether rich or poor, 
will rejoice together in that kingdom which cannot 
be moved. The poor, then, have every possible claim 
upon our sympathy in their several distresses, and upon 
our kind and active help, to the extent of our means, 
in all their necessities. That heart surely is not a 
christian heart which does not feel for them in their 
sorrows ; neither can that hand be the hand of a chris- 
tian which is not opened for their succour and their 
comfort." His mode of doing a charity was characteristic 
of his general habits and principles. None could per- 
form a kind act more kindly. He did it as if he were 
enjoying a privilege ; as if he were receiving rather than 
conferring a favour. He imparted the morale as well 
as the materiel of benevolence; he added cordiality 
to liberality ; and whilst the money which he gave 
relieved the poverty of the recipient, the gentle and 
sympathizing graciousness which accompanied the gift, 
spoke consolation and encouragement to his neglected 
emotions. He was a dispenser of charity in the very 
best sense of the word, for he dispensed it in a spirit of 
affectionateness ; and in numberless instances, some of 
which I have had the happiness of witnessing, the 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cccxlvii 



spirit of the benefactor was reciprocated by the spirit 
of the benefitted. Such, thanks be to God, is the law 
of our nature. It is the principle on which the Gos- 
pel rests; and it is the principle on which all human 
conduct, if answerable to gospel requirements, must 
rest also. The love of gratitude is seldom appealed to 
in vain by the love of kindness. Kindness and grati- 
tude may be said to bear to each other the relation of 
cause and effect; but then the kindness, besides being 
real, must be shevm to be so. Affected kindness 
implies pride, and begets it; it is the pride of condes- 
cension, exciting the pride of inferiority. 



In the year 1836, feeling himself no longer compe- 
tent to take an active part in the duties of his chapel, 
Mr. Housman addressed to his Diocesan a letter, of 
which the following is a copy, requesting his Lordship's 
permission to resign the Incumbency of St. Anne's. 

Lancaster, June 15, 1836. 

MY LORD, 

Having entered, about four months since, upon the 
seventy-eighth year of my age, and experiencing great 
and increasing debility, both mental and bodily, I feel 
the propriety and necessity of requesting your Lordship's 
permission to resign the important charge of St. Anne's, 
Lancaster, which I have occupied, within two months, 
during the long space of forty years. 

I built the Chapel, (at that time being of ability to 
do so) and procured its consecration in the year 1796. 
I had the Grant of Nomination from the then Diocesan, 
and the acknowledged Patron of the Advowson of 
Lancaster, and likewise from the Vicar of the Parish 



cecxlviii 



THE LIFE OF 



Church, to myself and heirs for the term of fifty years. 
Several years afterwards it was discovered that there was 
some error in the grant, which Mr. Manby, the present 
Vicar, was pleased to call a mere clerical error, and of 
which he generously said that he should never think of 
taking advantage. Mr. Manby has indeed acted with 
the highest honour ; and has informed me that if I died 
during his lifetime, it was his intention to give the 
nomination to my representatives. Mr. Manby was 
likewise pleased, within the last three or four months, 
thus to speak to me on the subject, with his charac- 
teristic, "You present, and I am dormant." 

I have been introduced, within the last four months, 
to a clergyman of the name of Levingston, of Crombe 
Whitwell near York. Mr. Levingston is spoken of as 
a gentleman of great piety and of good talent. He 
has preached in my chapel, and was greatly approved. 
His disposition seems to be mild and affectionate, but 
united with sufficient energy of character. To have 
such a successor, who would and could take care of 
my flock when I am become entirely disabled from 
public duties, would be a great comfort to me in my 
declining days. 

If your Lordship should kindly accede to my pro- 
posed resignation in favour of Mr. Levingston, I will 
take care that the proper documents shall be forwarded 
to your Lordship. 

I have the honour to be, 

My Lord, 

Your Lordship's most obliged servant, 

Robert Housman. 

The excellent bishop, who had invariably treated Mr. 
Housman with the most gratifying and distinguished 
marks of kindness, accompanied his acquiescence in the 



THE REV. R. HO US MAN. 



cccxlix 



wishes of the venerable minister with a very affection- 
ate testimony to the fidelity and usefulness of his past 
life, and with the expression of an earnest hope that 
St. Anne's might long continue to be tended by a 
pastor not less sound in his doctrinal principles, and 
equally faithful in declaring them. 

Upon the occasion of his Lordship's first Visitation, 
Mr. Housman, in common with the rest of the clergy 
of the town, waited upon him immediately after he 
arrived in Lancaster, which happened to be on a Satur- 
day evening. When Mr. Housman left the room, the 
Bishop, turning to one of the clergy standing near 
him, remarked that he was disappointed at not having 
been asked to preach at St. Anne's, adding "that he 
should have considered it a privilege to be allowed to 
address the congregation assembling there." This sen- 
timent was conveyed to Mr. Housman, who cheerfully 
invited his diocesan to occupy his pulpit. The request 
was readily complied with; and in the evening of 
the next day, having preached in the parish church 
in the morning, his Lordship delivered an impressive 
sermon at St. Anne's ; in the course of which he 
referred, in terms of profound and fervent respect, 
to the character and labours of their aged pastor, re- 
minding his hearers of the serious responsibility which 
that character and those labours had entailed upon them. 

The respect thus publicly testified was unfeignedly 
reciprocated. Mr. Housman entertained a more than 
official regard for the person of his superior. At his 
hands he had experienced peculiar attention; and epis- 
copal civilities were things to which he had been but 
little accustomed. No wonder, then, that the considerate 
and christian politeness of Dr. Sumner sank deep into 
his heart. "The good Bishop," he says in a short note 
which I received from him in 1834, "called upon me 



cccl 



THE LIFE OF 



on Tuesday, and was as kind as kindness could make 
him. He spoke highly in favour of St. Anne's, and 
of its old and feeble minister." But it was for some- 
thing better than personal courtesies, honourable as 
these were to both parties, that Mr. Housman loved 
and reverenced his bishop. It was for the ardent and 
peaceful piety of his life, for the fidelity of his minis- 
trations as a messenger of the Gospel of the blessed 
God, and for the laborious and conscientious manner 
in which the high functions of his office were uniformly 
discharged. " If all ministers were like the Bishop of 
Chester," he once exclaimed, " there would be some 
grounds for the theory of Apostolical Succession." And 
in a letter to one of his congregation — to one, as he 
himself says, "whom I have numbered with my little 
flock" — he mentions his lordship in the following words; 
"We have lately rejoiced to have our excellent Bishop 
at Lancaster. He is one of the right kind — taught of 
God, and influenced by the love of Christ. I had 
much conversation with him. He preaches, and he 
feels, that f it is a faithful saying, and worthy of all 
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to 
save sinners.' This is the inexhaustible theme of the 
Gospel ministry, and the prominent subject of the 
meditations of those who are running successfully the 
race that is set before them. Just as we can realize 
the glory of the person, and the love, and the redemp- 
tion of the Son of God, so are we in humility, and 
hope, and heavenly affections. To win Christ, and 
to be found in him, is to have a sure title to Heaven; 
and to have Christ reigning in the heart, is to have a 
sure meetness for the holy and happy kingdom. May 
we, and ours, be numbered with all 'the ransomed of 
the Lord' in glory everlasting!" "Farewell" — it is 
thus the letter concludes — "Let us abound in prayer; 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cccli 



and the spirit of praise will not be far distant from us." 

In one of Mr. Housman's letters to Mr. Levingston, 
dated the 6th of April, 1836, the following passage 
occurs. It is interesting, not only as bearing directly 
upon the subject of Mr. Housman's ministerial success, 
but as containing a tribute of sincere respect to the 
character of a highly distinguished and honoured labourer 
in another department of the Church of Christ. 

ee In retiring from my present situation, I would re- 
tire with the Publican's prayer on my lips and in my 
heart. But I would retire likewise in the spirit of 
thankfulness, and of adoring wonder at the gracious 
Saviour's condescension in blessing my poor labours to 
the everlasting salvation of many souls, through a long 
succession of years. * * * Why I obtruded myself 
on your attention, the following quotation will explain. 
In a note which I received from Mr. Dawson, of 
Aldcliffe Hall, near Lancaster, who is nephew to the 
excellent Mr. Clayton, sen., he says as follows ; ' Having 
seen my venerable uncle Clayton, he inquired with 
much kindness after you; and on my mentioning your 
wish to appoint a minister to St. Anne's, he particularly 
requested me to name to you the Rev. Mr. Levingston, 
as a young man of decided piety and talent, and one 
whom he considers eminently qualified to meet your 
wishes, and to lead the congregation in the same steps 
in which you have so long conducted them.' After 
this testimony from the venerable Clayton, whom I 
have long revered, it is needless to express my earnest 
wish for your presence in Lancaster." "The congre- 
gation," he adds, "is very attentive and affectionate; 
and the post of St. Anne's, as a stand for the Gospel, 
very important."* 



* Mr. Levingston did not remain long in Lancaster. The delicate health of his 
wife rendered a removal to a warmer climate expedient, or rather indispensable ; and 



ccclii 



THE LIFE OF 



Near the close of the preceding year (1835) Mr. 
Housman had undertaken, at the instance of his friend 
Josias Booker, Esq. of Liverpool, to prepare for the 
press a volume of sermons preached at St. Anne's. 
Towards this object Mr. Booker generously contributed 
a handsome sum of money: and the volume, which 
may be considered as owing its existence entirely to 
him, was published about the middle of 1836.* Not- 
withstanding the disadvantages under which it was 
compiled, (the venerable author being greatly unfit- 
ted, by extreme age and daily increasing infirmities, 
for active literary engagements) it comprises many 
discourses of very superior merit. They are plain, 
pointed, earnest, and affectionate; singularly free from 
redundant phraseology; few in words, but weighty in 
ideas. Every sentence is a small treasury of sacred 
thought; every paragraph contains abundant matter for 
profitable reflection. 

The commencement of one of the last discourses 
Mr. Housman ever wrote (perhaps the very last, since 
we do not possess a later manuscript) is far too impor- 
tant, for biographical purposes, to be omitted here. We 
have seen that in the first letter which he addressed 
to the Rev. W. C. Wilson, in the year 1813, the 

in the year 1837 he was succeeded at St. Anne's by the Rev. Henry O'Neill, M. A. 
" His character," says Mr. Housman, speaking of the latter gentleman, "is known 
to me as that of a faithful and able minister, and his name has been respectfully 
mentioned to a friend of mine by the excellent Bishop of the Diocese." In 1840 
Mr. O'Neill retired from St. Anne's. The Vicar of Lancaster, in whom the appoint- 
ment legally resided, having considerately intimated his intention to ratify the choice 
of the congregation, a requisition, subscribed by the principal pew-holders and 
owners of property in the chapel, (none objecting) was presented to the Rev. Charles 
Bury, M. A., of St. Luke's, Skerton, urgently inviting him to become their pastor. 
Mr. Bury, who was greatly esteemed in Skerton, where he had been permitted to be 
the instrument of much good, complied with the desire expressed in the requisition, 
and on Sunday the 3rd of May commenced his ministerial labours at St. Anne's. 
*By Seeley, 169 Fleet-street, London. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cccliii 



cardinal principles of his preaching are briefly stated to 
be "the deep-rooted and total apostasy of man, and the 
glory and grace of Jesus." " In proportion/' he adds, 
"as the former is really known and experienced, and 
the latter steadily and truly realized — humility, and love, 
and thankfulness, and obedience, mark the character. 
Through grace, my preaching has been principally, and 
especially lately, occupied with these two points, dwel- 
ling of course upon their collaterals, and explaining 
the consequences ; and the Lord, I think, has set to his 
seal that this mode of preaching is according to his 
will." Hear him at the close of his long ministry. 
They are solemn words. The time of his departure 
was at hand ; he had fought the good fight ; he had 
kept the faith; he had nearly finished his course; and 
the crown of righteousness, prepared by the righteous 
Judge, was almost within his reach. 

"Approaching towards the close of a long ministry, 
of upwards of half a century's continuance, I can bear 
my feeble but decided testimony that the preaching of 
' Christ and him crucified' is the grand weapon, in the 
hands of the Eternal Spirit, of converting souls. The 
wisdom of this world may object ; the enmity of this 
world may revile; but in the midst of objections and 
revilings, the blessing of heaven is proclaiming that 
the preaching of The Cross is the power of God and 
the wisdom of God. Hence, so long as I may be 
permitted to speak, this will be my leading subject — 
Christ, the Lord from Heaven, dying for the rebellious ; 
Christ, lifted up upon the cross, that he might draw 
all men unto him. And, my dear friends, so long as 
you may be permitted to hear in the house of the 
Lord, be very careful that you hear where Jesus is 
exalted, and extolled, and raised very high; where he 
is proclaimed as the wisdom, and the righteousness, 

w w 



cccliv 



THE LIFE OF 



and the sanctification, and the redemption, of all who 
will be saved. God the Father infinitely loves his 
eternal Son ; and he loves and he blesses that preaching 
which gives unto the Son the glory due unto his name." 

Elsewhere, in the same discourse; — 

"There are two weighty truths, my dear hearers, to 
which I would bear my solemn and unflinching testi- 
mony, if this were to be the last hour of my life. 
The one is this — There is no way for a sinner to ob- 
tain mercy, reconciliation, and peace with God, but 
through a humble and soul-reliance on the atoning 
blood of Jesus. The second truth is this — The only 
way to obtain victory over sin, and to obtain holy and 
spiritual affections, is, not by resolutions, but by prayer 
for the Spirit of God, and by simply trusting in the 
Saviour to answer the supplications. To resolve, is 
to depend upon self, upon an arm of flesh — and disap- 
pointment must follow. To pray, and then to trust to 
the Lord to impart the needed grace, is to trust in 
a faithfulness which is sure, in a power which is 
Almighty, in a mercy which is boundless, in a plente- 
ous succour which never faileth." 

Such were the almost dying declarations of the 
venerable founder of St. Anne's, as he calmly surveyed 
the Future and the Past. 

If there be one scriptural proposition more clearly 
and positively enunciated than another, it is perhaps 
this — that the successful exercise of the ministerial office, 
in the conversion and renewal of the hearts of men, is 
attributable to the influences of divine assistance; and 
that in order to secure these indispensable aids, the 
truth must be preached in love. In the firm and ha- 
bitual belief of this most important principle, Mr. Hous- 
man lived and acted ; and just in proportion as ambas- 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccclv 



sadors of Christ submit themselves to its salutary gui- 
dance, will be the measure of their usefulness here, and 
the amount of their recompense hereafter. The very first 
discourse delivered at St. Anne's contains an interesting 
passage on the matter before us. 

"At one time we behold him" (Mr. Housman is 
speaking of St. Paul) "breathing out threatenings 
against the inoffensive christians ; at another, we see the 
fervent and laborious apostle preaching the faith which 
once he had destroyed. At one time we behold him 
a man of blood, dealing around him, like the pestilence, 
dismay, confusion, and death; at another, we see the 
affectionate servant of the holy Jesus, diffusing, like 
the sun, on every side, light, and life, and beauty, and 
comfort. We behold him, with the Scriptures in his 
hand, and the Saviour in his heart, flying from city to 
city, and from kingdom to kingdom. As he passed 
along, pagan superstition humbled herself at the foot 
of the Cross of Immanuel. As he passed along, the 
prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled; instead of the thorn 
came up the fir-tree, and instead of the briar came up 
the myrtle-tree. As he passed along, the powers of 
darkness trembled and were confounded; their usurped 
dominion was shaken and destroyed, and the kingdom 
of Jesus established on its ruin. 

"But by what means were these wonderful effects 
produced 4 ? Were the subtilties of logic called in to 
regulate the tempers of the mind"? He tells the Cor- 
inthians he did not come to them with "wisdom of 
words.' Did the refinements of philosophy subserve the 
cause of the Redeemer, by extending their influence 
from the understanding to the heart? In matters of 
religion he renounces such assistance, for in this con- 
cern he classes 'philosophy' with 'vain deceit.' Did 
the strong arm of secular power procure him an audi- 



ccclvi 



THE LIFE OF 



ence, or enforce his admonitions^ That arm was indeed 
stretched out — but it was stretched out to intimidate, 
to oppress, and to destroy. The weapons of his warfare 
were not carnal. He went forth to the conflict, leaning 
upon the promise and the strength of his Eedeemer, 
and speaking the truth in love. He published, with 
becoming feelings, the everlasting Gospel; and the 
publication was accompanied by the mighty and effec- 
tual energy of the Spirit of God. Here, then, is both 
instruction and encouragement for the ministers of Christ. 
Like the apostle, we must execute our commission in 
dependence upon divine aid, and in love ; and because 
we serve the same master, and are included in the same 
gracious and extensive promise, 'Lo, I am with you 
alway, even unto the end of the world/ we may, in our 
measure, expect similar effects." 

In juxtaposition with this passage may be placed a 
third extract from the discourse already cited. How 
beautifully the record of his earlier life is attested and 
confirmed by that of his declining years ! 

"God giveth the increase, while his ministers are 
declaring his eternal truth. Those ministers may deeply 
feel their own nothingness; they may have to lament 
their coldness, even in their warmest moments; they 
may have much occasion to mourn over the defilement 
which clings even to their best of duties: they may be 
astonished that instruments so weak and so unworthy 
should be used by the great and holy God in accom- 
plishing the salvation of even a single soul. But still, 
if they speak the truth in love, they will not 
speak in vain. The promise will be fulfilled, 'My 
word shall not return unto me void.' Many a darkened 
mind will be enlightened; many a one dead in sin, 
will be quickened ; many a rebellious soul will be sub- 
dued to the obedience of the faith; many a troubled 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccclvii 



conscience will obtain peace ; many a worldly heart will 
become spiritual ; many a wandering foot will be turned 
into the good ways of God. And such are some of you. 
Adored be the God of mercy and of power." 

His highest glory, says Mr. Statter, was to be in- 
strumental in glorifying his Divine Master. To use his 
own language in reference to the apostle Paul, "he 
was impatient to hang every honour upon the. cross of 
Jesus, and then cordially and joyfully to say, f To thy 
name be glory for ever. Amen.'" 

Mr. Housman never preached in St. Anne's after he 
resigned the Incumbency. His last public performance 
of divine service was at Saint Luke's, Skerton, on the 
morning of Sunday the 7th of August 1836. About 
the middle of the service he was suddenly seized with 
extreme dizziness in the head, and being unable to go 
through the prayers prescribed by his church, the 
congregation was dismissed, and I accompanied him 
home. He attributed his indisposition to the excessive 
heat of the chapel; whatever the cause may have been 
which produced an effect so melancholy and alarming, 
the distressing symptoms were instantly removed on his 
going out into the air. In the evening he appeared 
as well as usual, and conversed with more than ordinary 
animation. Several weeks afterwards he baptized two 
of his grand-children in St. Anne's Chapel; and it used 
to please him to think, that his last ministrations in 
the sanctuary were on behalf of the offspring of children 
who had never occasioned him a single pang. 

Though withdrawn from the public engagements of 
the ministry, he felt himself still a labourer in the 
service of his Lord and Master Jesus Christ ; and under 
this impression, spent a portion of almost every day in 



ccclviii 



THE LIFE OF 



visiting the poorer members of the truly religious part 
of the congregation. These visits are fondly treasured 
in many a grateful bosom. An aged christian, whose 
pilgrimage is nearly over, remarked to me in reference 
to them — "They were blessed moments, Sir. He used 
to come to me every fortnight ; and when I heard his step 
beside the door, my heart was glad within me. He 
had always a heavenly smile for me, and a few heavenly 
words to comfort or support me with. I believe he 
never left the house without saying, 'Now don't forget 
to look to Jesus. Be often looking to Jesus.' He 
was very feeble, and could not bear much fatigue; but 
his spirit was just what it had always been, full of 
grace and love. I used to think every visit would be 
the last, and he seemed to think so too. 'The taber- 
nacle,' he one day said to my son, 'is going fast; — 
but let it go.' He was quite ready for the summons, 
whenever it should come. Oh! how much I owe to 
him! He was the means of saving my soul:" — and 
then, bursting into tears, she added, "you must forgive 
me if I weep — for I loved him." 

One of the severest blows Mr. Housman ever sus- 
tained, and he had sustained many, was the death of 
his second wife, who, after gradually declining for 
several months, expired at Greenfield on the morning 
of Sunday the 29th of January 1837, in the fulness of 
faith. "To miss a countenance" (he has beautifully 
said) " which, day by day, and year by year, has been 
turned towards one with looks of benignity and kind- 
ness, is a real trial." This grievous dispensation of 
Providence bowed him to the ground; his children, 
many of them settled in marriage at a distance, no 
longer lived beneath his roof ; and at the age of seventy- 
eight, weak in body and enfeebled in mind, he, the 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccclix 



most domestic of men, the tenderest of parents, the 
best of husbands, was left in the world alone. Fearful 
indeed, as they who witnessed them can testify, were 
the effects of this bereavement upon his health and 
frame, and desolate indeed was his condition; but the 
considerate and delicate kindness of friends did all to 
assuage his sorrow that human kindness could, and the 
spirit of love and comfort that had supported him in 
former trials was with him now, and mercifully strength- 
ened him to bear the weight of his exceeding heavy 
grief. 

The last moments of his beloved partner afforded an 
abundant source of satisfaction and encouragement to 
those who survived. She, to whom ostentation of all 
kinds, but especially religious ostentation, was ever 
hateful, departed out of life as meekly and as modestly 
as she had passed through it. Although blest, in answer 
to many earnest prayers, with the entire possession of 
intellect till within half a minute of her release, she 
spoke but little on the all-engrossing subject of her 
eternal change, preferring rather to lie, with closed 
eyes and folded hands, patiently awaiting the summons 
of her God. Once she exclaimed — "What a great 
Redeemer! What a full atonement! What a free 
salvation!" — pausing solemnly between each sentiment. 
To one of her daughters she said, "What should I do 
if I had to seek a Saviour now? — and shortly after- 
wards, the same daughter, bending down to listen if 
she breathed, heard her repeating, in a low firm voice, 
Toplady's well-known hymn "Rock of Ages, cleft for 
me." Upon the second line in the third stanza, " Simply 
to thy Cross I cling," she dwelt with peculiar fervour, 
paused at the end, and then repeated it several times 
with the emphasis of one who was urging a promise. 
At half past ten o'clock she took leave of her dear 



ccclx 



THE LIFE OF 



husband. A union of nearly fifty years' duration, 
contracted in mutual respect and love, and favoured by 
God's signal blessing in a variety of ways, may not be 
dissolved without a pang. The interview was short; 
the parting was full of pain. With characteristic 
humility and self-abasement, she entreated him to pardon 
her many errors and imperfections ; declared an unshaken 
confidence in the sufficiency of Christ's mediatorial work ; 
and expressed a strong conviction that she was about 
to see him face to face in the kingdom of their Father. 
"Dont you think I shall be happy 4 ?" she eagerly in- 
quired. " I am as certain of it," was the answer, " as I 
can be of any thing future." " Yes," she rejoined, ({ I too 
have good hope." Soon after, she said, "I have had, 
through life, a great and faithless fear of the act of 
dying; but it is gone now; there is nothing to dread." 
At twenty minutes past two on the following morning, 
her head resting on the shoulder of her youngest child, 
she fell asleep in Jesus.* 

To the surprise of those who best knew his consti- 
tutional diffidence and reserve, particularly on subjects 
that closely affected his interior emotions, Mr. Housman 
repeatedly mentioned this severe bereavement. In the 
remembrance of the long-tried and eminent christian 

* To the same daughter she presented, not more than an hour or two before her 
dissolution, a manuscript volume of extracts for every day in the year. This volume, 
which consists of very valuable materials, selected during a comprehensive and 
somewhat desultory course of reading, was begun on the first of January 1813. 
It concludes thus. 

" God, in great mercy, has spared me to complete these daily portions. Here is 
what I may call the bread of life broken into 365 parts. By many of them I have 
often been strengthened and refreshed, and they still retain their nutritious and 
cheering qualities. They are like the manna which Moses laid up before the Lord 
which could not perish. My Omer is now filled ; and I leave it to my children, 
that they may see and taste (when I have passed over Jordan) the food wherewith I 
have been sustained in the wilderness. They will find it composed of the incorrup- 
tible seed of the word ; and, I can further add, laid up for them before the Lord in 
prayer, that those so dear to me may eat thereof and live for ever." 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccclxi 



virtues of the departed, and in the realizing contempla- 
tion of the unutterable happiness she had been called to 
enjoy, he seemed indeed to find the sweetest consolation. 
To her exalted condition as a glorified saint, he was 
perpetually referring ; " She is a crowned one now," 
was the all but supreme consideration of his mind. 
He appeared to be much absorbed in anticipations of 
the beatific vision; and would occasionally speak of 
"the number which no man can number," and of 
"Him that sitteth upon The Throne," like one who 
had already stood before it himself. " What a Temple ! — 
and what a Light to lighten it!" was constantly on 
his lips. His quiet and capacious soul, enlarging and 
brightening day by day, panted to be gone. To live 
was Christ; but to die was gain. 

Shortly after his wife's death, Mr. Housman withdrew 
from Greenfield to a small house on the Green Area, 
where he resided till his departure for Liverpool in 
November. He left Greenfield with many and tender 
regrets. 

When exercised upon topics of merely temporal inte- 
rest, his mind, during this desolate period of existence, 
painfully indicated the debilitating effects of age. It 
was in the faculty of memory that the evidences of 
decay more especially appeared. Yet treacherous as 
this invaluable faculty occasionally proved, its retentive- 
ness and readiness on spiritual subjects were providen- 
tially continued — a peculiarity which Mr. Housman 
often noticed in grateful terms, and to which, just be- 
fore his retirement from Lancaster, he one evening, 
while walking with a dear and highly respected friend, 
bore a striking as well as characteristic testimony. 
Having begun some remarks on a matter of comparative 
indifference, he suddenly stopped short, and lamented 

x x 



ccclxii 



THE LIFE OF 



his inability to proceed. His companion, anxious to 
relieve him from the embarrassment of his position, 
kindly observed upon the frequency of such acts of for- 
getfulness in the decline of life, and added, " I dare 
say, Mr. Housman, you recollect events which took 
place forty or fifty years ago, far better than those 
which happened only recently % " " Yes," he replied, 
" I do : but I remember best of all the events of our 
Lord's time." Upon these events he would discourse with 
the familiarity of an eye-witness, and a personal partici- 
pator in their glory. Faith, the evidence of things not 
seen, gave to the past the distinctness of the present. 

He left Lancaster, I feel persuaded, with a presenti- 
ment that he should never see it any more ; and a few days 
before his departure, (much as he disliked saying good- 
bye, when the word had a real meaning attached to it, 
and referred to a long future of separation) paid fare- 
'well visits to some of the oldest or most dearly regarded 
of his friends, in parting with whom he was observed 
to exhibit extreme emotion. "I should wish to bid 
adieu to all my congregation," he remarked one after- 
noon, "but that is out of the question. They know 
that I love them, and that my prayers are offered up, 
night and morning, on their behalf." "The Lord has 
done great things for St. Anne's," he added — "and he 
will continue his loving-kindness and his mercy." 

On being asked by one of the most devoted of his 
friends, not many days before his departure, "how he 
did," he replied in these striking words — "I will 
answer you as Mr. Romaine answered me, when I put 
to him a similar question. It was on Blackfriars 
Bridge — the last time I ever saw him. ' I want,' said 
he, f to get more of the unsearchable riches of Christ.' 
So do I. Like good Mr. Romaine, I want to get more 
of the unsearchable riches of Christ." Thus did this 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



cccxliii 



venerable saint, forgetting the things which were be- 
hind, reach forth to those which were before, and press 
toward the mark for the prize of his high calling. 
His desire for a fuller manifestation of God in Christ, 
true to the insatiable instincts of immortality, expanded 
in proportion as fuller manifestations were imparted. 

On the 29th of October, the Sunday but one before 
he left Lancaster, he requested me to accompany him 
to Skerton Church, near the east end of which his 
wife was buried. When we had reached the bottom 
of the hill leading to the church, he paused for a 
moment as if in doubt, and then anxiously inquired, 
ee Shall we see the graved" Upon my informing him 
that we should not necessarily pass it, he proceeded. 
We had not, however, gone far, before he turned hastily 
round, and observing, "You will think me a foolish 
old man — but I dare not go," retraced his steps. A 
little further on he said, " Age has not yet deadened 
my feelings ; this is a mercy. I think I am as keenly 
alive to kindness as ever I was — and to the recollection 
of kindness." I understood this beautiful tribute to the 
tenderness of the dead. 

The last five months of Mr. Housman's life were 
spent at the house of his son-in-law, R. W. Prichard 
Esq. Woodside, near Liverpool. Many of the letters 
which he wrote from this place to one of his daughters, 
are truly significant of the settled tone and temper 
of his mind. Though generally brief, for he was in- 
capable of continued exertion, they breathe a spirit of 
the warmest affection for those who had rendered 
themselves worthy of his regard, and are distinguished 
by a sentiment of implicit dependence upon the good- 
ness and mercy of that Saviour whose name he had so 



ccclxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



long delighted to magnify and honour. In one of these, 
dated January 10th, 1838, he says, in his own 
peculiarly concise and pointed manner, " Yesterday I 
purchased for myself a great treat at a small expense. 
The article purchased is yours; the comfort of making 
the purchase is mine. Few indeed are the sources of 
my earthly consolation now; but while the lives and 
affections of those I love are continued, I may say with 
an apostle, f I have all things, and abound."' And in 
another letter, of nearly the same date, having discussed 
with remarkable clearness, a rather complicated mat- 
ter of business, he adds — " My memory, however, in 
these things occasionally fails me. But while I can 
remember, with some degree of feeling, that the Saviour 
died for me — pounds shillings and pence may at times 
perplex me, but can do nothing more." These are the 
last words he ever wrote. 

His reading, whilst at Woodside, was but slight, and 
was confined almost exclusively to a volume of Dr. 
Chalmers's Sermons (those preached at the Tron Church, 
Glasgow); Joseph Milner's discourses on the Churches 
of Asia; John Owen on the glory of Christ; and a 
small pocket-testament. The first of these books was 
a great favourite; I think he prized it more highly 
than any of the author's works. Not three months 
before his death he presented me with a copy, and in 
the short note which accompanied the gift thus express- 
ed himself in reference to a portion of its contents — 
" Sermon the Xth is particularly instructive. I could 
say to every one who really feels it, f Thou art not far 
from the kingdom of God.' " The copy of Milner was 
presented to him by a lady, one of the most beloved 
of his congregation; he valued it exceedingly, and be- 
queathed it to his youngest daughter in the following 
passage — " I am enjoying a daily repast in the company 



THE REV. It. HOUSMAN. 



ccclxv 



of Joseph Milner on the Churches. If I should not 
live to return, the book is yours." The little testament 
before mentioned was the last book he ever read. For 
years his constant companion — in his study, his solitary 
walks, and his visits to the sick — it continued to be so 
as long as he retained the power of perusing it. He 
seemed as if he could not bear it out of his sight. 

A few weeks before his dissolution I enjoyed the 
privilege and pleasure of spending several days in his 
society. Though greatly changed since his departure 
from Lancaster (for death had been making rapid en- 
croachments of late) he was able to converse without 
much difficulty, and retained, in undiminished strength 
and sweetness, his habitual cheerfulness of spirits. The 
extreme gentleness of his disposition, his susceptibility 
of kindness and his gratitude for it, the instinctive 
quickness with which he detected the merest symptoms 
of attention in those about him, and his refined delicacy 
in acknowledging them, were never so apparent as now. 
It was beautiful to see the freshness and the warmth 
of this good old man's affections. So much love in 
one so aged I could not have imagined. 

My recollections of these few days are of the most 
agreeable kind. " Good thoughts," says one who valued 
both his ministry and person, "are sure to come when 
you think of Mr. Housman ;" — I thank God that I have 
found it to be so. He never left the house, and I was 
constantly with him. It was delightful to be near him; 
— so much and such genuine humbleness — so much 
profound and unaffected simplicity of devotion, combined 
with such maturity of knowledge — happiness so grave 
and so majestic — such incomparable meekness, in the 
midst of such glory. To see a christian like him, is 
indeed to see a great sight; it is to see the noblest 



ccclxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



and highest style of man; it is to see one "who is 
next unto an angel." Mr. Housman was ripe for heaven. 
His heart, his treasure, his meditations, long detached 
from earthly anxieties, were there already; and the 
cloud that was to take him up, shined upon his coun- 
tenance. The expression of his features was unutterably 
engaging; his looks were the looks of one who gazed 
upon Him that is invisible. The painful peculiarities 
of old age — selfishness, impatience, inconsiderate haste, 
and petulant harshness of thought and word — disturbed 
not his. Honour to the religion of Jesus, the renewer 
and beautifier of life, that it w T as so! These things 
were all absorbed in the serene and strong spirituality 
which possessed him. Born of the Spirit, he seemed 
all spirit. The shade had passed upon his mind; but 
his soul was left without a shadow. The losses of 
nature were the gains of grace. Amid the failings 
of intellect, and the hard trials of bodily decay, the 
grand doctrines he had so long and so consistently 
maintained, were permitted to support him with an ex- 
traordinary measure of blessedness and power. In 
him, if in any one, the evangelical promises of temporal 
beatitude were verified. In him, if in any one, the 
Gospel had its perfect work; — freedom from everything 
unholy, sordid, and discontented; purified affections, 
hopes at once substantial and seraphic, and an abundant 
impartation of the peace which passeth all understanding. 
He was indeed delivered into the glorious liberty of 
the sons of God. He was more akin to the other 
world than to this. He had partaken of the divine 
nature largely : he was full of the Holy Ghost ; he was 
one with Christ. The light into which he had been 
called, and to which, for upwards of half a century, he 
had been steadily advancing, by an ever-brightening 



THE REV. LI, HOUSMAN. CCClxvii 

and an ever- widening path, was truly marvellous light.* 
What has been recorded of his favourite Leighton, to 
whom, in the quiet depths and ethereal sweetness of 
his piety, he bore a near resemblance, may with equal 
truth be affirmed of him — that he never uttered a 
syllable, whether gay or grave, which did not more or 
less directly tend to spiritual edification. This was 
peculiarly the case now. I remember reading to him 
• one morning a passage from a book which I had just 
purchased, in which a true love of God was represented, 
according to the philosophical theory of disinterestedness, 
as resulting from a devout contemplation of his character, 
attributes, and perfections. When I had finished it, 
he exclaimed — te Very fine writing, but very bad divinity. 
The Bible tells a different story. It sends us to God 
as sinners, and requires our dutiful love for ivhat he 
has done for us. We must be christians from gratitude. 
We love him, because he first loved us. Not 
that we loved God — oh no! — but that he loved us. 
Here is the grand mystery and foundation of man's 
redemption. Herein is love ! — free, benevolent, infinite 
love. Love God for his love to you, and then you 
will proceed to love him for the intrinsic loveliness of 
his character. You are on safe ground if you see your 
obligations to God. The first glimpse a sinner gets of 
the glory of God, is his pardoning mercy ; in fact, 
divine forgiveness is the manna upon which the babe 
in Christ and the father in Christ must alike feed. 
But read Dr. Chalmers's ninth and tenth Tron sermons, 
(pointing to the volume, which lay near). They will 
explain all I mean as to the nature of love to God, 

* Am I unduly exalting the creature ? God forbid. It is God that worketh in 
the best of men, both to will and to do ; by the grace of God they are what they are. 
" He that praises Richard Hooker," exclaims the simple-hearted biographer of that 
ever-honoured saint, " praises God, who hath given such gifts to man." The Lord 
is glorified in the righteous. 



ccclxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



and far better than I can. I have neither mind nor 
strength left. Those sermons, especially the tenth, 
might be read with profit at least once every week. 
Chalmers, I think, is the first Divine and Preacher of 
the age." " Think of the kindness of the great God," 
he would repeatedly say ; " you cannot think of it too 
much. It is the most affecting of all considerations. 
You cannot feel his kindness without confessing your 
own unworthiness ; and if you see your own unworthiness 
and his kindness in one view (and the Cross represents 
both) adoring* gratitude will follow. The strange im- 
mensity of the love of God cannot be too much exalted. 
Was ever love like this 4 ? All is mystery and mercy. 
Yes, on every part and process of the great salvation 
wrought out by the Son of God, there is one and the 
same image and superscription — 'Here is love which 
passeth knowledge.' " One morning, after we had been 
conversing about his son the Eev. Thomas Housman 
of Broomsgrove, who added greatly, by his respectful 
attentions, to the comfort of his parent's declining years, 
and of whom Mr. Housman invariably spoke in language 
the most affectionate, he said — "I shall advise him to 
select for his first text in his new church the beau- 
tiful and cheering words of the Angel of the Lord to 
the shepherds at Bethlehem — f Behold, I bring you 
good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.' 
Here is the intention of the Gospel — kindness, you see, 
nothing but kindness. It is this which secures the 
hearts of angels, and it is this which secures, if they 
ever are secured, the hearts of sinners also. If I had 
to live my life over again, and possessed my present 
feelings, I would begin with this text, and end with 
it."* "Oh! "he continued, after a short pause, "we 

* A month later, lie made three ineffectual attempts, Mr. Prichard informs me, 
to write a sermon on this interesting passage. His mind was full of the subject, but 
he no longer retained the power of transferring his thoughts and feelings to paper. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccclxix 



don't sufficiently preach Love: — we don't sufficiently 
dwell upon the. kindness of the great God in Christ. 
Look at the freeness of the Gospel-offer — 'Whosoever 
will, let him take the water of life;' look at the extent 
of it — 'If any man thirst, let him come unto me and 
drink.' Oh! the freeness and the extent of the offer 
of life in Christ Jesus ! It demands our adoring grati- 
tude and praise. Whatever you do, don't forget that 
the G-od of the Gospel is a God of Love." On another 
occasion, having adverted, in a temper of pardonable 
sadness, to the changed and decaying condition of his 
mind, he added, "But I have reason to thank God, 
and I do thank him, for this — that he leaves me the 
power of recollecting the most comforting portions of 
his word. These I never forget. They are with me 
at all hours, and I know not what I should do without 
them. My intellect is not equal to much ; I can scarcely 
grasp two ideas at once ; but I can still comprehend, 
I can still realize, (and his eye brightened as he spoke) 
that grandest of all ideas — the light of the glory of 
God in the face of Jesus Christ." The Bible was his 
rod and his staff as he passed through the Valley of 
Desolation. 

He took great delight in acknowledging that the 
world, in its moral and religious aspects and circum- 
stances, was improving; but he seldom expressed these 
views without greatly regretting the culpable insensibil- 
ity of even good men to their extraordinary privileges. 
(S It should be a constant and a general prayer," he 
often said, "that the Lord would be pleased to shew 
us our privileges. We are all living deplorably below 
them." He thought that Christianity, as experimentally 
exhibited, had lost in depth what it had gained in 
length and breadth ; that the finer and more elevated 

y y 



ccclxx 



THE LIFE OF 



characteristics of christian faith were sacrificed to the 
love of bustle, excitement, combination, and activity; 
that there was a want not so much of sincere and 
conscientious piety, as of high spirituality of mind. 
"The number of small christians/' he used to observe, 
" is wonderfully increased ; but there is a lack, I suspect, 
of tall christians. There are more Marthas than Marys." 
"Christians," he would also remark, "are too much 
in haste now-a-days. It is a great acquirement to be 
a waiting christian." This sentiment he frequently re- 
iterated. 

"There are two objects," he said to me one day, 
"which we should be hourly endeavouring to have 
fully in our view — Sin and Christ; the baseness and 
danger of sin; the grace and glory of the Saviour of 
sinners. A view of sin will alarm; a view of the 
Saviour will hush the storm in the soul. A view of 
sin will bring down the loftiest transgressor into the 
dust: a view of the Saviour will raise him, and bid 
him live. A view of sin will shew him hell to be 
deserved ; a view of the Saviour will shew him that 
heaven is purchased, and that heaven may be attained. 
Try, through the revelation of the Spirit, to be getting 
daily better acquainted with these two objects. You 
cannot thoroughly know Christ, without thoroughly know- 
ing sin first; and if you thoroughly know sin, you 
cannot but know Christ." And again, the same morning; 
"Be spending much of your time in looking unto Jesus. 
This is the grand secret of spiritual prosperity. He 
passes by before you in his ordinances: he walks in 
the midst of the churches. His love appears in the 
invitations of his word ; his faithfulness in the promises j 
his holiness in the precepts; and his justice in the 
threatenings. Oh! what a Jesus to look upon! What 
a Jesus to look unto /" 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. CCclxxi 



Humility, ever a prominent virtue in the character of 
Mr. Hou sman, seemed to prevail more and more as 
eternity drew near. " In our least sinful moments/' he said 
one day, ff AVhat are we but sinners trying to be holy?" 
And in a spirit akin to that which suggested this re- 
mark, he observed on another occasion — " I should wish 
the last prayer of my soul to be, what I know it ought 
to be, an earnest entreaty for mercy" Mercy was 
his pleasant food and song, and a gospel broken heart 
his sweet companion. He used to lament, with un- 
feigned sincerity, the comparative defectiveness of his 
ministerial labours ; and repeatedly declared to me that 
though it had pleased God to honour and bless them 
in an extraordinary degree, he had been at best but 
an unprofitable servant. "My greatest joy," he was 
accustomed to say, adopting the language and sentiment 
of one who possessed distinguished godliness, "is, that 
Christ has done so much for me; and my greatest 
grief, that I have done so little for Christ." He exhibit- 
ed very apparently the union of self-abasement and 
hope. The head upon which the "beautiful crown" 
was descending, bowed to receive it. He was the 
meekest of christians. His vast attainments, so obvious 
to others, were lost to himself in the perfect righteous- 
ness and surpassing glory of his Redeemer, and in the 
remembrance of that day when every mask must come 
off, and when a true estimate will be made of all. 
Never did one who abounded so much in good works, 
place upon good works so little reliance. He depended 
— for justification, and sanctification, and glorification — 
simply and entirely upon God in Christ. The love and 
grace of God, as manifested in and through his Son 
Jesus Christ — and not any merits of his own — engaged 
his almost undivided attention. This, the great and 
precious theme of his pastoral addresses, was the theme 
also of his latest meditations. 



ccclxxii 



THE LIFE OF 



Though tended, during his sojourn beneath the roof 
of his son-in-law, with unexampled affection and un- 
tiring care, Mr. Housman evinced remarkable eagerness 
to return to Lancaster ; it was accordingly arranged that 
he should leave Woodside for his own home on Satur- 
day the 3rd of March. On the morning of that day, 
however, his bodily weakness was such as to render a 
journey of above fifty miles absolutely impossible. But 
he was resolved to attempt it; and, in order to try his 
strength, determined to walk from Mr. Prichard's resi- 
dence to the pier, a distance of about a quarter of a 
mile. Supported on each side by a near and dear 
relative, he at length reached the Mersey in a state of 
deplorable exhaustion; — slowly and painfully, his head 
drooping heavily forward, he tottered on board the 
steam-boat which was to carry him across ; but no 
sooner had we succeeded in leading him to the cabin, 
which was crowded with passengers, than he sunk back 
upon one of the benches, pale and speechless. It was 
a trying moment; never shall I forget it. After the 
lapse of a second or two he lifted up his eyes to hea- 
ven, and in a tone of singular emphasis and sweetness, 
his countenance glowing with hope, uttered the following 
lines, 

Underneath the Saviour's throne, 
Parting is a thing unknown ; — 

repeating the first of them several times. 

To proceed home was out of the question. The 
boat arrived at the Liverpool side of the river in a few 
minutes ; and, in a few minutes more, his youngest 
daughter and myself, whose engagements in Lancaster 
made our presence there indispensable, were beyond 
the sight of his parting tears. 

Mr. Housman now began to decline rapidly. " The 
assurance that his pilgrimage was nearly over," says 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccclxxiii 



Mr. Prichard, "gave additional brightness to his ever 
bright and beaming countenance. He was quite free 
from pain/ and quite ready to depart. If he had a 
wish to live, it was only that he might be able to 
revisit the scene of his labours, and take an affectionate 
farewell of those he so ardently loved in the faith. 
Silent aspirations to heaven appeared to be his continual 
employment; and at meal-times, though none entered 
into social converse more readily, or enjoyed it more 
than he did, it was evident, from the frequent uplifting 
of his eyes, that the great Giver of both temporal and 
spiritual blessings engrossed the chief attention of his 
soul. Some of those about him being occupied on one 
occasion in singing a hymn, the burden of which was 
"Glory, Glory," he quickly caught the words, with 
much apparent delight, and remarked, ' Though I never 
had a voice for singing, yet, when I get into heaven, 
I will sing that song as well as any of you.' Fre- 
quently afterwards he would call for the hymn, and 
took great pleasure in listening to it." # # "He 
often regretted that Ministers of the Gospel do not 
sufficiently, either in their matter or their manner, evince 
the true characteristics of the Gospel, which are com- 
prehended, he said, in the term loving-kindness; and 
often added, that souls are to be won to Christ; that 
( truths harshly thundered forth or rudely pressed' would 
never make a loving and consequently a true convert, 
but that they should rather be s like his purpose, gracious, 
kind, and sweet.' * * Being, in the fullest sense 
of the words, "a man of peace,' he had a decided 
aversion to anything approaching to religious controversy. 
With what alacrity and delight he would turn from 
uncertain speculations to the love-inspiring announcements 
of the Gospel, they only can tell who have witnessed 
the transition."* 

*" The angels," says Jeremy Taylor, "worship and obey, but dispute not; and 



ccclxxiv 



THE LIFE OF 



Those who know the retiringness and delicacy of 
Mr. Housman's character, his unaffected humility, his 
detestation of religious parade, his horror of what are 
popularly termed " triumphant departures," will be 
prepared to hear that the last moments of his life fur- 
nished but scanty materials for a " dying scene."* 
Miraculous visions, feverish extasies, exhausting transports, 
do not often disturb the holy serenity of an aged 
christians latter end: for him are reserved the sacred 
solemnities of faith. "My state of mind," said Andrew 
Fuller, "is this; no despondency, no raptures;" — and 
such was Mr. Housman's. It was a state of radiant 
tranquillity; the peace which cometh down from 
heaven, and the love which passeth knowledge, divine- 
ly united. The house in which he lay was daily 
beset by friendly inquirers, many of them desirous 
to be admitted to the society of its venerable 
inmate; but with one or two exceptions, in favour of 
members of St. Anne's who came to see him, he 
affectionately denied all solicitations of this kind, and 
requested that the few remaining sands of existence 
might be suffered to drop away quietly in the presence 
of his children. With Bishop Hall he seemed to con- 
sider that the great work of death is one that must be 
done alone; accordingly he lay much in silence; and 
but for an almost constant moving of the lips, and an 
occasional raising of the hand or of the eyes, a by- 
stander might have supposed him to be asleep. These 
were doubtless seasons of most intimate communion 
with his God. Frequently, however, he would turn 
to the anxious watchers at his side, and with a smile 
of the sweetest expression calmly allude to the glory 
that awaited him ; — still more frequently, the smile was 
all he had to give. 

our quarrels and impertinent wranglings about religion are nothing else but the 
want of the measure of this state." 

* See Christian Observer, No. 421, p. 50. 



THE REV. R, HOUSMAN. 



ccclxxv 



About the middle of March an alarming change took 
place in his health, and his medical attendant, W. Ste- 
venson, Esq., apprized Mr. Prichard that his dissolu- 
tion was fast approaching. On the 25th of March 
my wife was summoned to Woodside. She found him 
much altered in appearance, but his countenance bright- 
ened when she entered the room; and throwing one 
arm around her neck, and the other about that of her 
sister, he exclaimed, "Now I am happy, truly happy. 
I have my two gems close to me: I can only sing 
Mercy, Mercy." The tears flowed rapidly down his 
cheeks, as he gazed upon his children. 

After this day he was never permitted to be alone. 
"It is quite delightful," says one of his daughters, in 
a letter which lies before me, "to be with him in 
these his last moments. His gratitude for the atten- 
tion he receives knows no bounds. Everything that 
is done for him is right; and when he cannot speak 
he acknowledges our kindness by smiles the most beau- 
tiful I ever beheld. His mind is generally quite col- 
lected, and frequently he will repeat, in an under tone, 
his favourite hymn, 

' Come let us join our cheerful songs.' 

To-day, when he reached the line 'For he was slain 
for us,' he added, 'Tell this to my dear dear brother.' 
Since my arrival here I have slept in a small bed in 
his room. Often in the night, when he thinks I am 
asleep, I hear him say 

' Ten thousand thousand are their tongues, 
But all their joys are one.' " 

In other letters by the same writer, I find the follow- 
ing passages ; — " Papa is perfectly calm and happy, and 
often alludes to his death. I do not believe a single 
doubt has ever crossed his mind. He said this morning, 
'I have settled all my worldly affairs; and my eternal 



ccclxxvi 



THE LIFE OF 



concerns, I feel convinced, are settled for me by one 
who cannot err. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant 
depart in peace.' * # * 'This is a changing world, 
but there remaineth a rest — a sweet rest. In a few 
days more I shall have entered upon it. It is a bright 
prospect, and 1 long for it; but I must not be impa- 
tient. Not my will, but thine, Lord.' * * * 
"Yesterday, when Mr. Prichard, on his return from 
Liverpool to dinner, came into his room and said, ' You 
are still with us, Mr. Housman,' his reply was, 
(and I wish you could have seen him as he spoke) 
'Yes — here I am, and here I shall remain, until it 
please the Lord to take me to himself; and then I 
shall sing of mercy and of judgment. Yea, unto thee 
O Lord, will I sing, for ever and ever.'"* * * "He is 
much gratified by the anxiety evinced by so many of 
his congregation, and said to me to day, 'Give my 
love to them all, but especially to my dear and only 
brother, and to all at Lune Bank. I love them very 
tenderly.' And then, after a pause, ' I love St. Anne's ; 
but I leave my people in good hands.' " * * * 
"He frequently inquires after his brother, of whom he 
invariably speaks in terms of true affection ; and to-day, 
when he saw me writing to you, he said, ' Give him 
my fondest love, and tell him I wish him every good, 
both in this world and in the next.' * * * * 
His affectionate manner towards all of us is truly de- 
lightful, and will afford us many happy recollections 
when he is gone. He looked at me about an 
hour ago, and said, f I often think of some lines by 
Cowper, which well apply to thee and me.' On asking 
him which they were, he repeated the following stanza 
of a poem to Mrs. Unwin. The passage, you remember, 
refers to her needles. He substituted my name for that 
of Mrs. Unwin. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccclxxvii 



1 For could I see nor them nor thee, 
What sight worth seeing could I see ? 
The sun would rise in vain for me, 

My Agnes !' " 

He continued sensitively alive to kindness. "This 
morning/' writes the same affectionate and dutiful child 
"whilst I was giving him his breakfast, he looked into my 
face with a sweet smile, and said, f I once used to feed 
you ; but you are now my nurse ;' " — and when a parcel 
of white violets which I had gathered for him in one 
of the fields near Lune Bank, was put into his hand, he 
raised it to his lips and kissed it, saying, "I shall 
never again see the spot where those flowers grew. 
Give him my best thanks for the present." 

Mr. Prichard's testimony confirms all that has been 
said of his gratitude, and resignation, and trust, and 
unshadowed hope of glory, in these his dying moments. 
His language abounded with expressions of obligation 
to those who waited upon him, and of devout thank- 
fulness to God for his unspeakable mercies. The 
smallest mark of attention elicited the warmest ac- 
knowledgments; and not a drop of water, however 
greatly needed, moistened his lips, until his heart had 
poured out its praises to the giver of all good for the 
unmerited blessing. Of death he spoke as of a long- 
familiar journey; his mind, penetrated with a perpetual 
sense of the divine presence, feared no evil. Why 
should it *? He was going home ; going within the inner 
circle of the whole family in heaven and earth named 
of the Lord Jesus Christ; going to the tender bosom 
of an infinitely disinterested friend, who had guided 
him through perils mightier than those of the dark valley, 
and cheered him with the promise of everlasting sup- 
port. He was afraid of nothing but impatience; and 
his God, kind to the last, kept him until patience had 
done its perfect work. 



ccclxxviii 



THE LIFE OF 



At noon on Thursday the 19th he fell into a deep 
stupor, from which he never awoke excepting for about 
half a minute on the following night. Mr. Prichard, 
not hearing him breathe, went to the bed-side and bent 
over his face. He slowly opened his eyes; and fixing 
them steadily and earnestly on Mr. Prichard for a few 
seconds, smiled; — then raised one of his hands very 
slightly, as he was accustomed to do when thankful, 
and again sunk into . a state of unconsciousness. At 
twenty minutes past two o'clock, on the morning of 
Sunday the 22nd of April, 1838, this meek and holy 
christian entered upon the rest that remaineth for the 
people of God. 



His remains were conveyed to Lancaster on Thursday 
the 26th, and lay at his house on the Green Area until 
the following morning. The countenance was but 
little changed by death. Somewhat thinner and more 
pale, it wore the same expression of sweet and pa- 
tient gravity, the same serene and heavenly smile, which 
characterized it in life. 

On the 27th, a vast concourse of people, nearly all 
of whom were habited in black, assembled on the 
Green Area, and, headed by the Rev. the Vicar of 
Lancaster, accompanied by most of the clergy and ministers 
of the town and neighbourhood, attended the body to the 
grave. It was interred in a vault in the burial- 
ground of St. Luke's at Skerton, the funeral service 
being performed by the Eev. Charles Bury and the 
Rev. Henry O'Neill conjointly. 

In the course of the year 1838, a handsome mural 
tablet, bearing the following inscription, was placed 
within the communion-rails of St. Anne's.* 



* It was executed by Mr. Fawcett, of Lancaster. 



THE REV. R. HOUSMAN. 



ccclxxix 



THIS TABLET IS ERECTED, 
BY THE MEMBERS OF ST. ANNE'S CONGREGATION, 
TO THE MEMORY OF 

THE REV. ROBT. HOUSMAN, A. B. 

THE FOUNDER AND FOR FORTY ONE YEARS 
THE BELOVED MINISTER OF THIS CHAPEL. 

HIS NAME AND LABOURS ARE INTIMATELY ASSOCIATED 
WITH THE PROGRESS OF " PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION" 
IN THIS TOWN. 

BORN FEBY. 25TH 1759, DIED APRIL 22ND 1838. 

" He was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and 
of faith; and much people was added unto the Lord." 

Acts 11 : 24.* 

I close this memoir in Mr. Housman's own words. 
They are the last words of a sermon preached on the 
thirty-fifth anniversary of the publication of the Gospel 
within the chapel of St. Anne's. God grant that the 
earnest aspirations of its Founder may be fulfilled! 

"Be instant,, I beseech you, in prayer. Pray that 
the ministration of the word within these walls may be 
always humble, faithful, successful. Pray that the 
constant habit, the very motto, of your ministers, may 
be, f speaking the truth in love.' From these 
words the first sermon in this house of God was 
preached; and if I knew which was to be the closing 
discourse, perhaps this would be the text, f God forbid 
that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, 
and I unto the world.' Brethren — beloved brethren — 
the time is pressing hard upon us, when the place 
which now knoweth us, will know us no more. But 
the voice of the Archangel, and the trump of God, will 
re-assemble us at the last day. We shall meet again 

* Shortly after the erection of this gratifying tribute of congregational esteem, 
Mr. Commissary Law, the son of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, directed the 
removal of the Tablet to some other part of the edifice. The direction was 
complied with. 



CCClxXX THE LIFE OF 

in the presence of the Judge. May yon be enabled 
to bear this testimony to the faithfulness of your min- 
isters — 'They spake to us truly all the words of this 
life and may your ministers be enabled thus to present 
the whole congregation to the Shepherd and Bishop of 
souls — 'Lo, these are the children whom thou hast 
given us!'" 



SERMONS. 



SERMON I. 



A SERMON IN WHICH THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES OF THE 
GOSPEL ARE ENUMERATED, AND THE NECESSITY OF BELIEVING 
THEM WITH A TRUE HEART PROVED * 



PREFACE. 

The following Sermon is sent into the world neither 
supported by closeness of reasoning nor embellished 
with the ornaments of language. The latter recom- 
mendation Truth stands in no need of; and the former 
is superseded (whenever we adhere to scripture) by 
that most weighty of all arguments, — "Thus saith the 
Lord." 

Perhaps there seldom was an age to which the awful 
language of Jehovah might with more propriety be 
applied, than that in which we live: "My people are 
destroyed for lack of knowledge." Iniquity, like a 
deluge, has overflowed the land, and men of every 
station and profession are plunging in the stream. 
From this almost universal licentiousness in the prac- 
tice of mankind, we may reasonably infer that there 
must be something essentially wrong in their principles; 
when the streams are impure, we may conclude with 
certainty that the source is polluted. This degeneracy 

* Preached at St. John's Chapel, Lancaster, in the beginning of 1786. 



4 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



of manners, so awfully and generally prevalent, may, I 
think, with propriety be ascribed to a fatal ignorance 
of some of the peculiar doctrines of Christianity, which, 
when received into the heart, purity that fountain of 
iniquity, make religion and the service of God the de- 
light of the soul, make better citizens, better subjects, 
and, to say all in a word, make Real Christians. 
Which are the doctrines alluded to, it is the design of 
the following discourse to shew ; and as the author has 
the honour to be a Minister of the Church of England, 
he can reflect with pleasure that they are interwoven 
with every part of her excellent liturgy, and are the 
sum and substance of her articles and homilies. In 
defence of these doctrines, a Latimer, a Ridley, and a 
whole army of Martyrs, nobly bled. They saw their 
importance and experienced their power, and when 
called upon either to renounce their principles or' suffer 
martyrdom, they cheerfully embraced the stake. 

There was a time when these essentially important 
truths were strenuously preached in every church of the 
Establishment. From the glorious aera of the Reformation 
till a little after the Restoration, there were few pulpits 
from which any other were heard. A change, which 
rivers of tears would not be sufficient to bewail, has 
since taken place. A dry system of morality, which 
would better become a heathen rostrum than a christian 
pulpit, has been substituted in the place of those awful 
and animating truths, which are written, as with a 
sun-beam, in every page of the gospel of Jesus. The 
consequence has proved fatal. Socinianism, infidelity, 
and profligacy, have spread their baneful influence far 
and wide: in short, morality has been preached till 
there is little morality left. This must be the case. 
Though Paul plant and Apollos water, it is only God 
who can give an increase; and he will not give an 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



5 



increase, he will not bestow his blessing, upon any 
labours which are not conducted upon the Gospel plan. 
He has declared, with a most decisive solemnity, that 
all the world is become guilty before God; and if 
guilty, consequently exposed to his righteous vengeance. 
Now- from this awful state of misery and condemnation, 
can morality rescue*? Can the practice of a few 
social or religious duties (though absolutely necessary 
in their proper place, and, when proceeding from right 
principles, the bright ornaments of Christianity) can 
these, I say, bribe the inflexible justice, or make satis- 
faction to the majesty and holiness of God, insulted and 
dishonoured by sin 4 ? How absurd, how blasphemous 
the thought! The question then is, "How shall man 
be just with God*?" How shall a polluted guilty 
criminal become righteous in the sight of that holy 
Being who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity 4 ? 
A scriptural answer to this most important of all en- 
quiries will be given in the following discourse. 

But before we attempt to recommend truth, it may 
not be amiss to endeavour to expose and overthrow 
error. The foundations on which multitudes are build- 
ing their hopes for eternity, are various and fatal ; wide 
is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to des- 
truction, and many there be which go in thereat. It 
may not therefore be improper to particularize some of 
the destructive schemes of salvation, which the ignor- 
ance of some, and the pride of others, have devised. 

There are those who entertain strange notions of the 
Mercy of God, and while they are hourly transgress- 
ing his holy law, in thought, word, or deed, can lull 
their conscience into a fatal security, by this common 
expression, " God is merciful." They carry their 
thoughts of his loving-kindness to such a height, as to 
forget that he is a God of Justice. It is indeed a 



6 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



delightful thought that his mercy reacheth unto the 
heavens, but let us at the same time recollect that his 
truth reacheth unto the clouds. He hath said "The 
soul that sinneth it shall die;" and he is not man that 
he should lie, neither the son of man that he should 
repent. While then his justice, holiness, and truth, 
remain as infinite as his mercy, how dangerous, nay, 
how inevitably destructive must it prove, to rest our 
souls upon uncovenanted mercy! 

Some there are so presumptuously ignorant as to 
expect salvation for their Works. "Alas! (says an 
eminent divine*) we have none that will bear to be 
weighed in God's balance, or answer the demands of 
his justice. Be fair and honest here, as it is a matter 
of life and death. Then examine what you think your 
best action, or the most excellent grace in your soul. 
Bring it to the touchstone, the straight rule of the 
commandment, which reaches the heart and all its mo- 
tions. In the matter or manner, principle or end, be 
assured, you will find some grievous flaw in it, and 
condemnation your desert, instead of reward." 

Some expect to be saved on the footing of Sincerity. 
This hath long been adopted into our divinity, as if it 
were the gracious condition of the new covenant, in 
opposition to the law of perfect obedience. But if we 
call for scripture proof, none is produced. If God 
hath made sincere obedience the condition of salvation, 
he would certainly have marked out the boundary pre- 
cisely, because our salvation depended upon it: but 
God hath drawn no line to mark the boundary, there- 
fore every man will draw the line for himself. Now 

* See The Complete Duty of Man, by the Rev. Mr. Venn, Rector of 
Yelling. This excellent book contains a most accurate system of doctrinal and 
practical Christianity, and is admirably calculated (under the divine blessing) to 
inform the ignorant, alarm the careless, comfort the humble soul, and animate 
the true believer. 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



7 



let us observe the consequence. One man will be 
regular in his attendance at church, yet put off his 
religion with his Sunday-dress. This is his line of 
devotion. Another will attend but once a day : — this 
is his line. And another will attend only when con- 
venience suits ; and this is his line. The supposition that 
sincere though imperfect obedience will procure our 
acceptance with God, is, when thus examined, as con- 
tradictory to reason as it certainly is to the whole 
tenor of revelation. But I would ask an advocate for 
this absurd notion, "Are you sincerely obedient? Do 
you pray as much as you can P or read the scriptures 
as much as you can P or relieve the poor as much as 
you can? Do you deny yourself as much as you can, 
and watch against sin as much as you can, or do any 
other duty as much as you can P " If you put your 
salvation on this footing, of doing what you can, and 
have not done it, what sentence can you look for from 
the Lord, but this, "Out of thine own mouth I will 
condemn thee." 

There are others (and perhaps the greatest part of 
mankind are under this delusion) who confound the 
covenant of grace with the covenant of works: they 
think that they must do part, and Christ, by his 
merits, will make up their defects. This mixed 
covenant is a bubble blown up by the breath of pride. 
It is neither law nor gospel, but an unscriptural mix- 
ture of both: and, to speak of it as it deserves, it is 
a suggestion of the devil, and destroys its thousands. 

It has been advanced with confidence (and by those 
who ought to know otherwise) that in this land where 
Christianity is professed, a minister should address his 
audience as a congregation of believers. They who 
make this rash assertion, clearly evidence their own ig- 
norance of the nature of that faith, through which the 



8 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



soul is justified. Are all our hearers believers ? — then 
they all will be saved, for " He that believeth shall be 
saved." But how does this accord with that declara- 
tion of the Saviour, "Straight is the gate and narrow 
is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be 
that find it?" God has solemnly declared, "if any 
man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his." 
Is not this decision plain and absolute ? Have all our 
hearers the spirit of Jesus'? Are they all denying 
themselves, taking up their cross daily, and forsaking 
all that they have; without which, if Christ himself 
may be credited, they cannot be his disciples*? On 
the contrary, are not the bulk of mankind, if not 
habitually practising some outward gross sin, living in 
conformity with the prevailing maxims and customs of 
the world'? — and has not God declared "if any man 
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him?" 
"Whosoever will be a friend of the world is the 
enemy of God?" 

Other opinions, equally false and destructive with 
those already mentioned, might be enumerated; but 
the attempt is waved, as it would extend this Preface 
to an inconvenient length. 

Should it be asked "What is the writer's motive for 
obtruding his Sermon upon the public?" — this is his 
answer. The Doctrines which it inculcates, are explo- 
ded by many, and disregarded by most; but they are 
doctrines which (judging from scripture) must not only 
be assented to, but experienced in the heart, and have 
a practical influence on the conduct, before the soul 
can be in a state of salvation. An earnest desire, then, 
to diffuse the knowledge of principles so essentially 
important, is his only motive; and as he solemnly 
promised at Ordination, not only to preach but to 
defend these principles, all apology is superseded. 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



9 



The reader is earnestly requested to examine what- 
ever is advanced in this discourse, by that unerring 
test of truth, The word of God. Search the Scrip- 
tures. Bring every sermon and preacher you hear to 
this infallible standard. "If they speak not accord- 
ing to this word, it is because there is no light in 

them." 

May 19M, 1786. 



B 



10 



THE PKINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



SERMON. 

Acts xx. 27. — / have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel 
of God. 

The situation of a minister of Christ is truly awful. 
He has received a commission from the Lord of Hosts, 
which he must faithfully execute at the peril of his 
soul. He is put in trust with the gospel of the blessed 
Jesus, and he is to explain its doctrines, urge its pre- 
cepts, display its hopes, produce its terrors. This he 
is to do with all faithfulness and diligence; and if 
one soul perish through his neglect, he is answerable 
for the dreadful consequence. This is clearly asserted 
in the prophet Ezekiel. "O son of man, I have set 
thee a watchman unto the house of Israel : therefore thou 
shalt hear the word ofcmy mouth and warn them from 
me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, 
thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn 
the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall 
die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at 
thine hand." Consider seriously this awful passage, and 
you will excuse that earnestness which aims at nothing 
but our mutual salvation. Consider it, and instead of 
your censure, we shall have your fervent prayers. 

If ever there was a time when the preachers of the 
gospel should, with peculiar zeal, cry aloud and spare 
not, it is the present. Religion, as a living principle 
in the heart, is ridiculed. An intimate union and com- 
munion with God, or, as St. John expresses it, "fellow- 
ship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ," 
is treated as the dream of an enthusiast, or the cant 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



11 



of a hypocrite. The gospel of Christ, the truth "as 
it is in Jesus/' is little known amongst us, and where- 
ever it is published, is rejected by a great majority of 
every rank. As there is this alarming degeneracy in 
doctrines, and consequently an abounding licentiousness 
in morals, it is the duty of every faithful minister of 
the gospel, to contend earnestly for the faith which was 
once delivered unto the saints. An attempt, therefore, 
to declare unto you all the counsel of God, or, in other 
words, to give you a clear and concise view of the lead- 
ing truths of Christianity, cannot be improper. As 
salvation is connected with an experimental acquaint- 
ance with the truths we shall enumerate, may Almighty 
Grace silence every prejudice, while I endeavour to shew 
you, in the first place — 

The guilt and misery of Man. Though this be 
an offensive insinuation, it must by no means be omitted. 
A heart-affecting knowledge of our dreadful apostacy 
from God, lies at the root of all true religion. Without 
this humiliating acquaintance with ourselves, we can 
neither embrace nor even understand the gospel. We 
shall retain the character of those who are whole, and 
neglect the remedy, without which we are sure to 
perish. 

The scriptures assure us that God made man upright. 
He created him in his own image. His soul reflected 
the unsullied glories of his Creator. He was holy, he 
was happy. His happiness, however, was connected 
with obedience. " Of the tree of the knowledge of good 
and evil, thou shalt not eat; for in the day that thou 
eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." Adam fell ; 
God's image was effaced. He, who before had held 
sweet communion with his Maker, was now disposed 
to hate him: — -to hate his Being and Perfections, to 
hate his dominion and law. Thus depraved, and guilty of 



12 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



treason against the most high God, he was under the 
sentence of the divine curse. The wages of sin is 
death : death spiritual, temporal, eternal. In this glass 
we may see ourselves. By the offence of one, judgment 
came upon all men to condemnation. By one man's 
disobedience many were made sinners. When the foun- 
tain was become polluted and guilty, the streams must 
be polluted and guilty likewise; for who can bring a 
clean thing out of an unclean"? We come into the 
world partakers of Adam's evil nature, and are dead to 
God. With respect to spiritual objects, there is an 
awful blindness in the understanding : an enmity against 
God in the will: and in what channel the affections 
are running, a little observation will soon convince us. 
Look into the world; let matter of fact speak. What 
are the objects which engage the love of the bulk of 
mankind*? Is God the first in their affections'? Do 
they love him with all their heart and with all their 
mind*? Are they hungering and thirsting after righte- 
ousness 4 ? Are they obeying that plain and positive 
command, "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of 
God 4 ?" Let scripture, describing the state of man by 
nature, confirm the answer. "There is none righteous, 
no not one. There is none that understandeth ; there 
is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone 
out of the way; they are together become unprofitable; 
there is none that doeth good, no not one." Now 
against all this disaffection to his government, against 
all this sin and pollution, the eternal God is a declared 
enemy: and creatures, thus alienated from the divine 
life, are, by the declaration of God himself, "Children 
of wrath." Wrath follows sin as closely as the shadow 
follows the body. God, as infinitely and essentially 
holy, hates sin with an infinite hatred; and, hating, 
must punish it. 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



13 



The reflections which arise from this branch of our 
discourse are many and important. 

What a dreadful thing is sin! One sin intro- 
duced into the world all this misery. For one sin, 
the rebellious Angels were cast down to hell,, and de- 
livered into chains of darkness to be reserved to judg- 
ment. And one sin will for ever separate from God 
every soul of man, in whom it is found unpardoned. 

How necessary it is to be acquainted with our 
state and danger! If we confine our views to this or 
that sin in particular, the conviction of our guilt will 
be but partial; and though it may terrify, will not 
thoroughly humble us. To know our true character, 
we must ascend from the act to the temper, from the 
temper to the nature. We shall then be brought to 
acknowledge this mortifying truth, that we are corrupt, 
not only in practice, but in principle; not sinners by 
habit only, but sinners in nature. To be truly sensible 
of our total depravity, is the first step towards a re- 
covery. A real conviction of our misery and guilt will 
silence every plea, humble us in the dust before God, 
and force from us the humiliating confession, "Behold 
I am vile!" Then, and not till then, we are at the 
door of mercy. In how dangerous a situation, and 
drawing on fast to eternal ruin, must that soul be, 
which hath never seen the evil of sin, nor cried for 
deliverance from its guilt and power! 

As this subject is of inconceivable importance, you 
will permit me to close it, by proposing a few interest- 
ing questions. As every man is by nature at enmity 
with God, I would ask every soul in this assembly 
(and may He who searcheth the heart, enable you to 
answer aright), Are you in a state of nature, or are 
you not 4 ? Have you ever been convinced that for 
the ff sin of your nature you deserve God's wrath and 



14 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



damnation 4 ?"* Do you daily bow down before the 
throne of grace, to make this penitent confession of 
David, "Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin 
did my mother conceive me 4 ?" Are you earnestly cry- 
ing out, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and 
renew a right spirit within me. Oh, take away this 
heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh?" If this 
be not your daily experience and employment, you are 
not created in Christ Jesus. However amiable you 
may appear in the eye of the world, you are not "born 
again." And has not Jesus determined on the case 
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born 
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That 
which is born of the flesh, is flesh: and that which is 
born of the spirit, is spirit. Marvel not that I said 
unto thee, ye must be born again." 

That we may not be accused of aggravating the 
depravity and guilt of man, let us consider secondly, 

The law of God. To this unerring standard let us 
bring our tempers and our conduct ; and surely, if we 
be not hardened in insensibility, or lifted up with the 
most delusive pride, we shall be constrained to cry out 
" What must we do to be saved P " 

The law of God, like its glorious Author, is perfect. 
It is holy, just, and good. It is an exact copy of 
the divine perfections. It requires love to God without 
the least lukewarmness, and love to man without the 
least unkindness. It demands an unsinning obedience, 
without a single failure in thought, word, or deed. 
It makes no allowance for human frailty, but its 
language is, Do this — do it all — do it perfectly, and 
you shall live: — transgress in the least instance, and 
you shall die. "Cursed is every one that continueth 
not in all things which are written in the book of the 

* Ninth Article of the Church of England. 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



15 



law, to do them." " ' Every one/ without any exception 
of persons: without any regard to pleas, either of 
human weakness or violent temptation. 'That con- 
tinueth not ' ; it is not enough to observe these holy 
commandments in the general tenor of our conversation. 
Our course of obedience must be without any inter- 
mission, from the earliest dawn of reason to the latest 
period of life. ' In all things ' ; we must refrain from all 
the sins that are forbidden, and from every approach 
towards them. We must practise all the virtues that 
are enjoined, and in their full extent of perfection. 
The law insists upon obedience, perfect in its principle ; 
perfect in all its parts ; perfect in every degree ; and, in 
each of these respects, perpetual. The least deficiency 
in any one particular renders us liable to vengeance; 
and notwithstanding any sorrow for transgressions, not- 
withstanding all pretensions to sincerity of heart, con- 
signs us over to the curse. In a word, this is the 
language of the law— Cursed is every one that is 
not perfectly righteous."* This view of the 
purity and sanction of the divine law, taken in 
connection with the extreme depravity of man, may 
and ought to give us most alarming apprehensions of 
our • danger. The law is justly termed " the ministra- 
tion of condemnation." It reveals the wrath of God 
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men ; 
against every transgression (though but in thought) it 
denounces the curse — the eternal curse of God. "By 
the Law is the knowledge of sin." It accuses — it 
convicts — it condemns. 

Here then suffer me to inquire — has the Law done 
its office'? Have you, in this faithful mirror, beheld 
the iniquity of your lives, and the greater iniquity of 



* For this comment upon the text above cited, the reader is indebted to 
the late pious Mr. Hervey. 



16 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



your hearts? Have you seen your danger, and felt 
your misery? If these effects have not been produced; 
if you remain unconscious of your exceeding sinfulness: 
nay, if you have not been brought to acknowledge with 
humility, that you have lived in one continual act of 
disobedience (for you never performed what the law 
demands), you are ignorant of its pure and perfect 
nature; and with whatever opiates you may be quiet- 
ing your conscience, you are not, cannot be, in posses- 
sion of the salvation of the gospel; for it is only the 
law, rightly understood, that can bring us to Christ. 

We have now taken a scriptural, though a very inad- 
equate view of the corruption of our nature, and the 
spirituality, extent, and penalty, of the divine law. 
Happy the soul, which under a deep conviction of guilt, 
is crying out, "What must I do to be saved?" To 
this momentous inquiry we shall now return an answer ; 
for we shall consider, in the third place, 

The all-important doctrine of Justification. Be- 
fore we proceed, let us define the term. Justification 
is an act of God, whereby he acquits a sinner of his 
guilt, and accounts him righteous. If ever there 
was a question proposed which demanded a serious 
answer, it is this — "How shall man be just with 
God?" "All that believe are justified from all 
things," is the scripture reply. "Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." "Being 
justified by faith, we have peace with God through 
our Lord Jesus Christ." "To him that worketh not, 
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his 
faith is counted for righteousness." "Christ is the 
end of the law for righteousness to every one that 
believeth." "Knowing that a man is not justified by 
the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus 
Christ " If there be any meaning in words, and if 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



17 



we may credit these plain declarations of the Bible,, we 
may safely conclude, that Justification is by Faith 
alone.* In this grand business, works of every 
kind, as a condition or previous qualification, are en- 
tirely excluded ; "by grace are ye saved, through faith : 
— not of works, lest any man should boast." Though 
scripture speaks expressly to the point, the doctrine of 
Justification by Faith alone, has met with opposition 
in every age. But whence proceeds this opposition"? 
From the unhumbled pride of man. The doctrine 
strips him of his boasted dignity ; shews him that he 
is a rebel by nature and practice; and can never be 
saved, but by submitting as a condemned criminal, 
and trusting only to the free grace of God in Christ 
Jesus. To this humbling method of salvation, the 
haughty heart of man never submits, until broken and 
subdued under a sense of guilt. When, through the 
operation of the Holy Spirit, the evil and danger of 
sin are perceived and felt: when, to the eye of faith, 
God is discovered, glorious in holiness, and inflexible 
in justice, then, and not till then, will the soul approve 
and embrace the gospel salvation. It will then 
relish and admire the glorious scheme of redemption : — 
a scheme, by which the attributes of God, which sin 
had set at variance, are restored to perfect harmony. 
God is evidently just, and yet the justifier of him 
that believeth in Jesus. God is evidently merciful, 
and yet sin does not go unpunished. Thus mercy 
and truth are met together: righteousness and peace 
have kissed each other. This is the only method of 
salvation which God has appointed — which he com- 
manded to be preached to all the world, with this 
sovereign determination, "He that believeth shall be 
saved : he that believeth not shall be damned." What 



* Eleventh Article of the Church of England. 
' C 



18 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



then is faith 4 ? The discriminating property of true 
faith, is — a reliance upon Jesus Christ, for the pardon 
of sin, peace of conscience, strength for obedience, and 
eternal life. It presupposes a knowledge of Him and 
of ourselves; of our guilt, and his merits; our weak- 
ness, and his power. No sooner does a sinner, 
however vile, rest his soul on the person, work, and 
promise of the Redeemer, than his sins are freely 
forgiven him. He is accepted in the Beloved; "there 
is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." 
Does the law of God require perfect obedience 4 ? Jesus, 
the believer's surety, was made under the law, and he 
fulfilled it. Does the justice of God urge its awful 
claims'? The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all 
sin. Does Satan threaten 4 ? He was vanquished by 
the Almighty Saviour. Does death terrify 4 ? Jesus hath 
taken away its sting. Does the prospect of a Judgment 
Day alarm*? Jesus, the judge, is the believers friend. 

Happy, beyond expression happy, is the soul which 
hath cast anchor on this Rock of Ages. Though the 
rains may descend, and the floods come — though there 
may be fightings without and fears within — the believer 
is secure. He is guarded by Almighty power; en- 
lightened and guided by unerring wisdom. Mercy, 
infinite and unchangeable, preserves and comforts him. 
Though persecuted, he is not forsaken; though cast 
down, he is not destroyed; for the Lord of Hosts is 
with him, the God of Jacob is his sure refuge. Though 
surrounded by hosts of enemies, and in himself helpless 
as infancy, the Captain of his salvation fights for him, 
with him, and in him. Thus he lives, strong in the 
Lord, and in the power of his might; and when sum- 
moned to go through the valley of the shadow of death, 
he fears no evil. Jesus is with him, to support his 
departing spirit, and conduct him to glory. 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



19 



Are these the privileges and enjoyments of every true 
believer 4 ? Then let me inquire — are you of the 
happy number % Are you of the little flock, to 
whom the Father will give the kingdom 4 ? Are 
your names written in the Lamb's book of life 4 ? Have 
you seen the Son, and believed on him 4 ? Have you, 
under a sense of guilt and misery, committed your 
souls into the hands of Jesus 4 ? He that believeth on 
the Son of God hath the witness in himself; — have 
you this inward witness 4 ? Can you say, ff The life 
that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of 
the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for 
me 4 ?" Are you daily depending on Jesus, as your 
Prophet, to teach you by his word and spirit; as 
your Priest, to atone and intercede for you ; and as 
your King, to rule over you and in you 4 ? If you 
cannot reply to these questions in the affirmative, be 
assured that you have no faith in Jesus. And if 
Christ be not your Surety, you are lying under the 
dreadful load of unpardoned guilt. Every page in 
the Bible denounces against you indignation and wrath, 
tribulation and anguish. He that believeth not the 
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth 
on him. 

It is commonly objected to the doctrine of justifica- 
tion by faith, that it opens a door for licentiousness. 
This feeble objection will be obviated, when we con- 
sider a fourth truth revealed in the gospel; viz., If we 
have obtained peace with God through our Lord Jesus 
Christ, we shall be dead with him unto sin, but alive 
unto righteousness. The faith which doth not purify 
the heart and regulate the conduct, is no better than 
delusion; they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh 
with the affections and lusts. They no longer walk 
according to the course of this world, but they walk 



20 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called. 
They are born again. Their views are altered. They 
hate sin, as sin, because God hates it: and they love 
holiness, as holiness, because God loves it. They 
delight in the law of God after the inward man. 
Their language is, We are bought with a price ; there- 
fore we will glorify God in our body and in our spirit, 
which are God's. This is the prevailing bent of the 
renewed man's heart. Christian holiness is widely differ- 
ent from the morality of the world. This is nothing but 
a smooth life, and civility of manners. It has self-love 
for its principle, and self-gratification for its end. It is 
nothing but pride of heart, and, consequently, not only 
defective, but abominable in the sight of God. But the 
holiness of the gospel is the genuine fruit of a renewed, 
pure heart, offering up itself to God in love. It is 
the dedication of ourselves, our souls and bodies, our 
estates and callings, with a single eye to please him, 
with a hearty desire to honour him. This is that 
holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. 
This is that meetness for an inheritance of the saints 
in light, which, though not the least title to heaven, is 
required as a proof that we have put on Christ. The 
conversion described is not peculiar to some more ad- 
vanced christians, for every soul that is saved must un- 
dergo this universal change. The connection between 
sanctification and salvation, between grace and glory, 
must not, cannot be broken. 

As there is no declaration in scripture more express 
than this, " If any man be in Christ, he is a new 
creature," permit me here to inquire — are you re- 
newed in the spirit of your mind? Do you set your 
affections on things above, and not on things on the 
earth? Are you seeking, first and before every thing 
else, the kingdom of God and his righteousness*? Do 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



21 



you delight to hold communion with God in private 
prayer and meditation*? Knowing that the world is 
enmity with God, are you renouncing its deceitful plea- 
sures and corrupt gratifications *? Are you seeking your 
happiness, where God alone has placed it, in the light 
of his countenance'? Is there no known duty, however 
unfashionable, disagreeable, or dangerous, which you do 
not labour to perform 4 ? Is there no known sin, how- 
ever customary, pleasing, or profitable, which you do not 
mortify and resist? In a word, are old things passed 
away, and are all things become new? Let conscience 
return a faithful answer to these scriptural inquiries. 
If you are poor, you may so continue and yet be saved : 
if you are despised, you may so continue and yet be 
saved: if you are unlearned, you may so continue and 
yet be saved. One change, however, is indispensably 
necessary. If you be not transformed by the renewing 
of your mind; if you are not converted and become 
as little children; Christ has pledged his word that 
you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
— Ye must be born again. This is the declaration of 
Him, at whose bar of everlasting decision you will 
shortly appear. It is to no purpose to be crying out with 
Nicodemus, "How can these things heV The matter 
is determined; and the important change must take 
place, or you perish for ever. 

A fifth, and a very capital though exploded doctrine, 
may with propriety be here insisted on. It is this. 
The truths which have already been enumerated, 
must, if ever they are savingly understood and embrac- 
ed, be explained to the understanding, and applied to 
the heart, by the operation of the Holy Ghost. That 
we are involved in guilt and misery, through the offence 
of Adam, our covenant-head: that the law of the Most 
High requires an absolute perfection of obedience, and 



22 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



denounces the curse of eternal damnation against the 
least transgression: that none can be saved,, but by an 
absolute dependance on the blood and righteousness of 
'God manifest in the flesh:' that this faith is succeed- 
ed by an entire change of heart, views, and dispositions : 
these are doctrines, so far above the stretch of hu- 
man reason, and so galling to the pride of man, that 
they never make their way into the heart but by an 
influence purely divine. But we need not argue a point 
on which scripture is so express. "The natural man 
receiveth not the things of the spirit of God; for they 
are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, 
because they are spiritually discerned." "When he is 
come (i. e. the Holy Spirit) he shall convince the world 
of sin." And as it is the Spirit's office to convince us 
of sin, and to shew us our misery, it is likewise his 
office to lead us to Christ. What (exclaims one) cannot 
I make myself a christian 4 ? Have not I the ability to 
rely on Christ for pardon and eternal life? The very 
question implies the most fatal ignorance of God, his 
word, and the helplessness of man. Remove mountains 
— stop the sun in his course — raise the dead to life — 
create a world — and then think of believing with the 
heart unto righteousness, by a power of your own. The 
work can only be effected by him who said " Let there 
be light, and there was light." "No man can come 
unto me, except the Father who hath sent me draw 
him." " By grace are ye saved through faith ; and that 
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." "You are 
risen with him, through the faith of the operation 
of God." These texts are so plain and decisive, that 
no more need be adduced : and, surely, if we have any 
reverence for the authority of God's word, we shall 
cordially acknowledge that it requires the exertion of 
Almighty power to produce the least degree of saving faith. 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



Sanctification is no less the work of the Holy Spirit 
than conviction of sin, or faith. "Ye are sanctified by 
the spirit of our God." "Through sanctification of the 
spirit unto obedience." " According to his mercy, he 
saved us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing 
of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly, 
through Jesus Christ our Saviour." Create in me 
a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within 
me." " A new heart also will I give you, and a new 
spirit will I put within you ; and I will take away 
the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you 
a heart of flesh."* 

These few texts abundantly prove that the " holiness 
without which no man shall see the Lord," is solely of 
the operation of the Holy Ghost. 

Since the work of true religion in the soul is begun, 
carried on, and completed, by the agency of the divine 
Spirit; — since He must "work in us a good will, and 
work with us when we have that good will,"-]* we 
may infer, in the sixth place, the absolute necessity of 
fervent and persevering prayer. God has promised 
and limited his holy spirit to them that ask him. 
Prayer is the life of a christian, and the proof of a 
christian state. I do not mean the saying of prayers, 
whether at church or any where else. A man may 
do this, and be very exact in it all his days, and at 
the last be very far from the kingdom of God. The 
prayer that is heard and answered with a blessing, 
must be sent from the heart. He who prays with the 
spirit, is awakened to a sense of his guilt and weakness, 

* Create in us new and contrite hearts. — Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts 
by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit. — Take not thy Holy Spirit from us. 
Liturgy of the Church of England, 

f Tenth Article 



24 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



and is continually calling out for pardon and spiritual 
strength. He has one great desire to be delivered 
from the body of sin and death. Conscious that he 
is not sufficient of himself even to think any thing as 
of himself, and that it is only God who can work in 
him either to will or to do, he prays always with all 
prayer and supplication in the spirit. He comes fre- 
quently and earnestly to a throne of grace, and cries 
mightily unto the God of his salvation for all spiritual 
blessings. This is prayer. This is worshipping in 
spirit and in truth. This every real christian does ; 
and whoever does not thus pray, is in deplorable dark- 
ness. Whatever he may think of himself, he is with- 
out pardon, without Christ: — and should he die in this 
spiritual lethargy, he will die in his sins; and he will 
find to his everlasting sorrow, that the door of salvation 
is shut against all those, who will not, by fervent and 
persevering prayer, knock that it may be opened. 

Since true prayer is the principal channel through 
which spiritual blessings are received from Christ, suffer 
me to ask — does the sense of your wants, and experi- 
ence of your weakness, drive you to God? Are you 
in a state of constant, earnest prayer for the blessings 
of the new covenant; redemption by Christ, and a 
renewal to the image of God in righteousness and true 
holiness % I ask not, whether you repeat a prayer 
from a book night and morning. This is scarcely the 
shadow of prayer. Nay, it is worse than nothing: it 
is a mockery of that holy Lord God, who has declared 
of such services, that they are an abomination unto him. 
Religion is compared in scripture to a warfare — a 
struggle — a race — a striving to enter in at the strait 
gate. The point then that I would keep you to, and 
the question I would ask, is this — can you appeal to 
that God who searcheth the heart, that you are daily 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



25 



calling upon him for faith, repentance, and universal 
holiness, with a becoming earnestness % Are you as 
diligent and importunate in crying out for spiritual 
mercies, as you would be in supplicating relief under 
the sharp pains of a bodily distemper 4 ? If you be 
not thus engaged, are you, can you be in a state of 
salvation ? Impossible. Be not deceived ; God is not 
mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he 
also reap. If you neglect to work out your salvation 
with fear and trembling, by using with diligence the 
means which God has appointed, you will assuredly 
be left without that mercy which you so despise. 
Should the criminal condemned to die, be indifferent 
about a pardon — should a drowning man be careless 
about catching at the only plank that can save him — we 
should call their indifference madness: but what language 
can express, what thought conceive, the excessive 
stupidity of that soul, which, though bordering upon 
an awful eternity, is scarcely concerned about the issue? 
In whatever light these considerations may now appear, 
the moment is fast approaching which will shew their 
importance. An hour of death is a trying time. It 
is a detecter of cheats. It strips off the mask from 
what the world calls excellent, and stamps folly upon 
every pursuit, except — giving diligence to make our 
calling and election sure. 

"Men may live fools, but fools they cannot die." 

As we have now taken a scriptural, though necessa- 
rily a very contracted view of the leading doctrines of 
the bible, it may not be improper to delineate a cha- 
racter formed upon these principles. 

The true Christian is one who has been deeply 
convinced by the Word and Spirit of God of the dan- 
ger and sinfulness of sin, both original and actual. 

D 



26 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



Burdened under a sense of guilt, he has cried for 
mercy through the atonement, with fervency and per- 
severance. He has been enabled, through a faith 
which is of the operation of God, to look to that Almighty 
Redeemer who was lifted up upon the cross, that who- 
soever believeth on him should not perish, but have 
eternal life. With the pardon of his sins, thus freely 
bestowed, he has received a principle of universal obe- 
dience. It is the first desire of his soul to shew forth 
the praises of him who hath called him out of dark- 
ness into his marvellous light. His faith is a con- 
straining principle. It works by love, purifies the 
heart, and overcomes the world. It fills the soul with 
love, joy, peace, purity, and benevolence, and directs 
every action to the sublimest ends, the glory of God, 
and the good of mankind. 

This is the character of a Christian, as drawn by 
the infallible Spirit in his own sacred word. This 
alone is the christian character, though it were to be 
found only in one of a thousand, in one of a nation. 
The objection that this description of a true christian 
reduces those of that character to a small number, has 
no force; for Christ has declared of the narrow path, 
"few there be that find it." Surely we must not adul- 
terate the word of God, nor explain away its plainest 
declarations, to please a careless world. Search the 
Scriptures. Heaven and earth shall pass away : but 
every word in the sacred volume is as firmly estab- 
lished as the Throne of God. If any man have not 
the spirit of Christ, be assured he is none of his. 

In this land where Christianity is professed, there 
is scarcely one who does not call himself a christian. 
The drunkard, the debauchee, the swearer, the liar, the 
sabbath-breaker, pretend to have hope towards God, and 
trust in mercy. Others do not sin so grossly. They 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



27 



are punctual in the observance of the externals of re- 
ligion, and perhaps discharge the social and relative 
duties of life with a most amiable exactness. These 
in general have no doubt of the goodness of their state, 
and stand amazed when called upon to examine it. 
But the power of godliness but too rarely accompanies 
the form; and the profession of Christianity is but too 
seldom attended by a possession of its graces. As open 
ungodliness and false religion are the two main pillars 
by which the kingdom of Satan is supported, an address 
to the careless sinner and the self-righteous moralist, 
cannot be improper. 

1. To those who are living in the practice of what 
they know or suspect to be sinful. If the righteous 
scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the 
sinner appear 4 ? God has solemnly declared that the 
wages of sin is death ; and will you persist in sin, in 
defiance of his threatenings ? Can you contend with 
the Almighty Jehovah 4 ? Have you an arm like God'? 
— or will you make him a liar, and his speech of 
none effect ? Hath he said, and shall he not do it ? 
Hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Do 
you expect that the laws of heaven will be reversed, 
or the execution of them suspended? Surely the hope 
of the sinner is as the spider's web. If justice, holiness, 
and truth, be attributes essential to the character of 
God, suffer me to remind you that there is but the 
dreadful uncertainty of a dying life between you and 
eternal ruin. You stand upon a most dangerous pre- 
cipice, and should you die in your present state, your 
destruction is inevitable. These reflections, in the 
season of gaity and health, may be disregarded and 
perhaps ridiculed: but remember that an awful scene 
is fast approaching. The Lord hath prepared his seat 
for judgment; and the summons " Prepare to meet thy 



28 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



God" may be already issued. Should the decree be 
now gone forth, where would you look for refuge 4 ? 
Would you look above 4 ? There is an offended judge 
and a lost heaven. Would you look behind 4 ? There 
is a black catalogue of unpardoned crimes. Would you 
look within *? There is an accusing conscience. Would 
you look around 4 ? There is none to help. Would 
you look forward 4 ? There is a prospect at which 
imagination shudders; the wicked shall go away 
into everlasting punishment. Is not this representa- 
tion scriptural 4 ? Have I advanced anything but what 
the Bible authorizes 4 ? If these things be so, consider 
your ways. Oh turn, before it be too late, to the 
Lord your God. Even yet, though hitherto neglected, 
God is upon a throne of mercy: a throne, sprinkled 
with the blood of his own Son. He waits to be 
gracious; and this is the language of his word, his 
providence, and spirit, "Turn ye, turn ye from your 
evil ways, for why will ye die." " Ho every one that 
thirsteth, come ye to the waters." "Be ye reconciled 
to God." Infinite condescension! Who is it that 
thus bespeaks you 4 ? He whose laws you have bro- 
ken, whose name you have dishonoured, whose gospel 
you have despised. Can you bear the thoughts of 
continuing in rebellion against such a God 4 ? Shall 
insulted Majesty condescend to entreat, and entreat in 
vain 4 ? How many who are departed, perhaps not an 
hour since, would rejoice in the opportunity which you 
now have, of seeking the Lord. But their time is 
past ; their house is left unto them desolate : they are 
gone down into the chambers of eternal darkness. It 
is now your day of grace. Whatever be your age, 
circumstance, or situation, you have but your season, 
but your day. It may be night with you, when it is 
day with the rest of the world. Your sun may go 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



29 



down at noon ; and the God, whom you have neglected, 
may swear in his wrath that you shall never enter into 
his rest. Behold, then, now is the accepted time, 
behold now is the day of salvation. Go to God by 
earnest prayer. Go to him in the name of Jesus. He 
is exalted to give repentance and remission of sins; 
and what he does, he does freely, without money and 
without price. Though your crimes be of the deepest 
dye, and most enormous magnitude; though they are 
innumerable as the sands on the sea shore, yet despair 
not — for the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all 
sin. His arms are open to receive returning prodigals. 
In him you may find a safe retreat, and nowhere else. 
Turn where you will besides, and destruction will 
surely meet you. The law condemns you; if you 
neglect the gospel offer, your ruin is inevitable. Oh 
then seek to Jesus that your souls may live. Do you 
doubt whether he would receive you*? Hear his 
gracious declaration, "Him that cometh to me, I will 
in no wise cast out." Though you are vile as 
Manasseh, and filthy as Magdalen, yet come to Jesus 
and he will in no wise cast you out. He has saved 
thousands and tens of thousands, who are now rejoicing 
before him in the realms of glory, and this is his lan- 
guage from his throne in heaven, "Whosoever will, 
let him take the water of life freely." Is there any- 
thing forbidding in the Kedeemer? He is meek and 
lowly in heart. Is there anything terrible in Jesus'? 
He is the Lamb that was slain. Oh that you knew 
his compassion, his faithfulness, his power ! You would 
then fly to him, trust him, love him; and he would 
wash you from your sins in his precious blood, purify 
your hearts by his Holy Spirit, and give you a tran- 
quility and heaven in your conscience, to which you 
are now strangers. To all this happiness, to all the 



30 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



joys of his glorious salvation, he now invites you. If 
you listen to his gracious invitation ; if you are enabled, 
by a faith of the operation of God — to intrust your 
souls to his care — he instantly becomes your surety, 
your guide, your guardian, your friend; and he that 
toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye. He will 
conduct you, with the care and tenderness of a shep- 
herd, through this wilderness of tears: and when the 
gates of eternity are thrown open, and you are com- 
manded to enter in, he will be ready to receive you 
and bid you welcome to a crown of glory that fadeth 
not away. But, on the contrary, if you continue to 
prefer the gratifications of sense and the pleasures of 
sin, to this great salvation and this Almighty Saviour, 
you will assuredly perish, without remedy and without 
excuse. 

2. I turn now to the self-righteous moralists, the 
Pharisees of the present day. Your regular attendance 
at church and sacrament — your daily repetition of a 
prayer at home, with something bestowed now and 
then on the poor, form a righteousness, the sufficiency 
of which it will be deemed presumptuous to question. 
On this (with an expectation that the merits of Christ 
will make up deflciences) you build your hope. You 
readily grant that the profane, the careless, and all who 
forget God, are in a most pitiable situation — but you 
have taken pains, you have prepared yourselves; for if 
a sober, regular, industrious, well-spent life, will not 
give a man peace at the last, what can? If, my friends, 
this be all your religion, I must honestly tell you, that 
you must either seek a better or perish for ever. I 
will suppose that you are amiable in the sight of men, 
and deservedly respected; but remember that you are 
sinners; sinners condemn ed by the law of God, and 
justly exposed to eternal wrath. To this sentence you 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



31 



have never cordially submitted ; consequently can never 
in earnest have fled to that Redeemer, who saves those 
(and only those) who feel and acknowledge themselves 
ready to perish. Your works, not directed to the glory 
of God, nor proceeding from a principle of faith in 
Christ, are only, as St. Austin terms them, glittering 
sins; — ei whatsoever is not of faith, is sin." Until 
peace be made with God through the mediation of 
Jesus, all your prayers, all your duties, are but the acts 
of enemies, which he despiseth and abhorreth. " As 
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide 
in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me." 
Let this text convince you, that, not being united to 
Christ by a living faith, you never performed one work 
pleasing to God, nor one which he will accept. May 
this plain inference from a decisive scripture convince 
you of the vanity of your hopes and the danger of your 
situation. Learn to renounce your own righteousness; 
stand upon the level with publicans ; sue for mercy as 
sinners ; take shelter beneath the Cross. We do not 
propose this way of salvation as the best and most 
pleasant, but as the only way*; (e other foundation can 
no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
If you be not clothed in his righteousness, your imagi- 
nary goodness will avail you nothing when you appear 
at the bar of a holy God. You may plead "Lord, 
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in 
thy name done many wonderful things : have we not 
kept thy sabbaths and attended thy sacraments: have 
we not fed the hungry, visited the sick, and clothed 
the naked?" — but the Judge will answer ff l never 
knew you. Your unhumbled hearts rejected that free 
salvation which I died to accomplish; depart from 
me, ye workers of iniquity." 

* Dr. John Owen. 



32 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES 



3. To those who are sincerely desirous of seeking 
and serving the Lord, I would offer a few scriptural 
directions. 

If the salvation of the soul appears to you the one 
thing needful, you must not be content with the religion 
of the times. The world is, if an apostle may be 
credited, enmity with God; and the religion which the 
generality would recommend and allow, is not only 
defective but essentially wrong. Be not influenced by 
the names, numbers, examples, and opinions, of others. 
Be content with nothing less than what will bear you 
up in that great and terrible day when the trumpet 
shall sound and the dead be raised. Be content with 
nothing less than the religion of the Bible. That you 
may know what this religion is, diligently search the 
scriptures, with humble prayer to God for the teaching 
of his Holy Spirit. Salvation, from the foundation to 
the topstone, is entirely of grace. A man can receive 
nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Let 
this consideration urge you to perseverance and earnest- 
ness in prayer. Pray for the Spirit to enlighten your 
understanding, that you may see the sinfulness of sin, 
and the power and grace of Jesus: that you may be 
enabled to intrust your soul to his care, and glory in 
him, as your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, r and 
redemption. A heart desperately wicked, a tempting 
devil, and an ensnaring world, will combine to 
oppose your earnestness. But if you value your soul, 
you must be resolute. Strive* to enter in at the 
strait gate ; " for many, I say unto you, will seek to 
enter in, and shall not be able." An easy lukewarm 
religion might serve you to live with; but only a diligent, 
self-denying religion will prepare you to meet death. 
Wait then patiently on God in the ways of his appoint- 

* This expression in the original Greek is remarkably strong : strive as in agony. 



OF THE GOSPEL. 



33 



ment. Read his word with diligence ; be constant 
and earnest at a throne of grace; and come out from 
the world and be separate. In this way of humble 
seeking, the Lord will be found. He will guide you 
by his counsel, and at last receive you to glory. 

4. To believers. You were by nature children of 
wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in 
mercy, for the great love wherewith he loved you, even 
when you were dead in sins, hath quickened you to- 
gether with Christ. Since you are adopted into the 
family of God, testify to the world, by your exemplary 
conduct, that you are the sons and daughters of the 
Lord Almighty. By well doing put to silence the 
ignorance of foolish men. You are, if I may so speak, 
guardians of the honour of God. Oh sully it not by 
an inconsistent conduct, nor expose your holy profession 
by a careless walk. Your numbers are few, your 
principles unfashionable, and you have enemies on every 
side; but the Lord whom you serve reigneth over all. 
"If the world hated me, it will also hate you" is the 
declaration of your once suffering but now glorified 
Redeemer. Copy his bright example, and pray for your 
enemies; bless them that curse you. Stay yourselves 
upon God, for he hath graven you upon the palms of 
his hands. He will never leave you nor forsake you. 
Are any of you in doubts and darkness 4 ? The Sun of 
Righteousness will again rise upon you with healing in 
his wings. Are you under temptation 4 ? He, whom 
you trust and love, hath suffered, being tempted, and 
he knows how to pity you. Are you under afflic- 
tion 4 ? In this refining furnace you will lose nothing 
but dross. In short, however gloomy be your pros- 
pects, however pressing your calamities, I am author- 
ized to tell you, and with joy do I announce it, that 
the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath you 

E 



34 



THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES, &C. 



are the everlasting arms. In your patience, then, 
possess your souls. Press forward, regardless of danger, 
persecution, or reproach. Ke.ep your heart and your 
hopes constantly fixed on the great Captain of your 
salvation, and ere long you will be more than con- 
querors through him that loved you. Ere long you 
will mingle with the ransomed of the Lord, who return 
and come to Zion with songs. With joy unspeakable 
you will bear a part in that universal and never-ceasing 
chorus, "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, 
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
Lamb for ever and ever." 



35 



SERMON II. 

JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE* 



John xiv. 6. — Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, — no man cometh 
unto the Father but by me. 

Whether we consider the tendency of the great 
truths promulgated by our Lord, or the manner in 
which these truths are conveyed to the understanding, 
we shall be constrained to acknowledge, "Never man 
spake like this man." His design was to rend asunder 
the veil which sin has thrown over the human mind, 
to counteract and confound the policy of Satan, and to 
guide into the way of duty the servant of iniquity — into 
the paths of peace and consolation the sad subject of 
misery — into the road to everlasting blessedness the heir 
of immortality. The method in which he accomplishes 
this design, exhibits such a wise and gracious accom- 
modation to the infirmities of his creatures, as challenges 
at once both our admiration and our love. He stoops to 
our capacities, weak perhaps in themselves, as well as 
enfeebled by depravity, and indocile through prejudice, 
and conveys to us the idea of spiritual and eternal 
concerns, by representations or images with which we 

* Preached at Leicester in 1792, and published the following year. 



36 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



are familiar— through the medium of those things of 
time and sense, with the properties of which we cannot 
but be well acquainted. For instance: — are we to be 
instructed what is our moral character by nature, and 
how precious and necessary are the grace and mercy 
of the gospel*? How plain, yet how humiliating the 
declaration! "Man is born like a wild ass's colt;" 
ignorant, untractable, and perverse. Is the shortness, 
the uncertainty, or the vanity of life, to be enforced 
upon us? How apposite and expressive the language! 
It is described as "a flower of the field," "a dream," 
" a shadow." Are we to be taught the importance and 
excellency of the Saviour? He is revealed as the 
" Bread of life," the "Lamb of God," the " sure Founda- 
tion," the " Husband" of his people, the " Head" of his 
mystical body, the Church. From these and various 
other metaphors used in the Bible, the conclusion seems 
as necessary as it is animating, that Jesus Christ is 
possessed of power, authority, and compassion, to save 
unto the uttermost; and that in the vast concern of 
redemption, he is " alpha and omega, the first and the 
last," the "ALL IN ALL." 

In my text we have a proof of this condescending 
regard of our God to the weakness of his creatures. 
"I am the Way," says the great Teacher of mankind. 
From this very obvious and striking similitude, we 
cannot but acknowledge, unless willingly ignorant or 
obstinately prejudiced, that Jesus is the only medium 
of intercourse between heaven and earth ; and that if we 
ever rejoice, either in the salvation or the kingdom of 
God, we must be indebted to the interposition of his 
eternal Son. 

In discussing the subject before us, I shall consider 
the Saviour as the Way by which we have access — to 
the knowledge of God — to the favour of God — to com- 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



37 



munion with God — and to everlasting blessedness in 
heaven. 

I. To the knowledge of God. The maxim that 
f* ignorance is the mother of devotion/' is equally a 
proof of the extreme ignorance of the human heart, and 
of the entire absence of devotion where the maxim is 
received. If religion principally consist in a dedication 
of the whole man to God, from a conviction that this 
dedication is a reasonable service, and from principles 
of thankfulness and love, the knowledge of God must, 
in the very nature of things, be antecedent to this 
surrender. The excellency of his nature, and the 
relations he sustains as our Creator, Benefactor, Lawgiver, 
and Judge, being the grounds of our adoration and 
subjection, must necessarily be perceived, before the 
will can experience an inclination towards himj or the 
affections centre upon him. With the knowledge of 
God, likewise, our true dignity and comfort are inse- 
parably connected. Are we ambitious of honour 
"Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in 
his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his 
might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but 
let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth 
and hioweth me." * Are we athirst for happiness 
This can only be attained and preserved by "putting 
on the new man, which after God is created in right- 
eousness and true holiness." A conformity to God is 
happiness. How is this conformity to be obtained*? 
"We all with open face, beholding as in a glass the 
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image 
from glory to glory f If, then, all spiritual affections 
and acceptable obedience to God be fruits of knowledge ; 
if it be the highest dignity of our nature to have true 

* Jerem. ix. 23, 24. f 2 Cor. iii. 18. 



38 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



perceptions of his holy and gracious character; and if 
it be happiness and life eternal to know the only true 
God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent ; the contem- 
plation of his adorable perfections is an employment, 
which, for its advantages deserves, and for its intrinsic 
excellency demands, our most diligent and persevering 
exertions. 

The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in 
the person of Jesus Christ, exhibits a display of the 
divine character so clear, comfortable, and sanctifying, 
that, in comparison of it, every other discovery may 
almost be termed "the hidings of his face." It 
manifests him, in the first place, as 

" Abundant in Goodness." Creation proclaims the 
benevolence of the Creator, and Providence confirms 
the testimony. The insect which revels in the warmth 
of the sun, no less than the Archangel who adores 
before the throne, proves, by its capacity for enjoyment, 
the loving-kindness of him who formed it. Do we 
advert to Providence"? What a scene, what a system 
of goodness, is unfolded to our view ! Notwithstanding 
the calamities sin has introduced and continued, the de- 
vastations and carnage of war, the murmurs of the 
discontented, the anguish of the disappointed, the groans 
of the afflicted, and the agonies of the dying — the 
melancholy picture exhibits so many traits of comfort 
and enjoyment as evidence that "The Lord is good to 
all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." 
But if Creation and Providence manifest our God as 
delighting in the happiness of his creatures, and 
uniformly advancing their happiness, except when their 
transgressions arrest his hand, what a far superior and 
more animating view do the wonders of redemption 
afford ! There we behold his goodness ; here we con- 
template his grace. There we see his regard to crea- 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



39 



tures, and for a limited time; here his love to sinners, 
and for eternity. There we perceive the reality of his 
benevolence; here we are taught its degree. "God so 
loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son." 
From the dignity of the gift we are warranted to esti- 
mate the love of the giver ; and since the former is 
infinite, the latter must be incomprehensible. Are any 
of you cast down in sorrow, through a* conviction of 
your sinfulness and consequent danger"? Are you 
afraid of being " delivered into the bitter pains of 
eternal death 6 ?" Reflect upon the boundless mercy of 
God, as manifested in the gift and sufferings of his Son, 
and surely, though now upon the very verge of despair, 
you will be enabled to rejoice in hope. Or, would 
you gain views of the divine compassion which can 
overcome your reluctance to duty, and lead you to 
desire a continuance of existence, only that you may 
serve and glorify your God 4 ? Raise the eye of faith 
to the cross of Jesus. Behold pardon, peace, and 
eternal life, given to a race of sinners and enemies, and 
given through the obedience unto death of Him who 
is Jehovah's "fellow,"* and, though attached to your 
lusts by constitution, and riveted to them by habit, 
the fetters will be broken; nay, though "dead in sin," 
you will be awakened,' by the mighty energy of such 
loving-kindness, to a life of righteousness. 

The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in 
the person of Jesus Christ, manifests the divine character, 
in the second place, as 

" Glorious in Holiness." That his nature is rectitude, 
and that his ways are holy, we have abundant and 
various kinds of evidence. We feel the force of an in- 
ward principle, steady and powerful in its operations, 
whose voice we cannot silence, whose determinations 

* Zech. xiii. 7. 



40 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



we are unable to bias. It arraigns us, day by day, 
before its impartial tribunal; and, with an authority 
which neither sophistry can elude, nor licentiousness 
destroy, acquits or condemns us. From the universal 
existence and influence of this moral principle, which 
we denominate Conscience ; from the sentence of appro- 
bation which it passes upon what is just and right, 
and of disapprobation upon injustice and wrong; from 
the very obvious truth that the author of this moral 
principle cannot be any other than the great Author of 
all things ; and from the additional consideration that 
he would not implant a principle in his creatures con- 
trary to his own nature; from this evidence we may 
infer, without the least possibility of mistake, the per- 
fect justice and equity of the Lord; that though clouds 
and darkness are sometimes round about him, yet 
"righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his 
throne." 

But further: The afflictive dispensations of God 
evince his righteous character. Did the angels sin? 
God spared them not, but cast them down to hell, 
and delivered them into chains of darkness to be re- 
served to judgment. Did Adam violate the divine 
command? He was driven from Paradise; the ground 
was cursed for his sake; and his posterity, like him- 
self, are involved in depravity and ruin. Did God 
afterwards look upon the earth and see that the wicked- 
ness of man was great ? He brought in the flood upon 
the world of the ungodly, and destroyed the whole race, 
excepting one favoured family. Did Sodom and Go- 
morrah give themselves over to fornication, and going 
after strange flesh? The Lord "rained upon them 
brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven ;" and 
they " are set forth an example, suffering the vengeance 
of eternal fire." Did the Jews murmur in the wil- 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



41 



derness 6 ? They were destroyed of the destroyer. Did 
some of them commit fornication'? There fell in one 
day three and twenty thousand. Did they at last fill 
up the measure of their iniquities, by rejecting the 
message, traducing the character, and taking away the 
life of the Son of God 4 ? Behold! their house is left 
unto them desolate, their temple is demolished, their 
city overthrown, and they remain a dispersed and a 
despised people to this very hour. Do any die in a 
state of impenitency and guilt % " The smoke of their 
torment ascendeth up for ever and ever." But neither 
the moral principle which has been noticed, nor the 
various monuments of divine justice which have been 
reviewed, afford such a degree of evidence concern- 
ing the majesty and righteousness of Jehovah, as we 
may collect from one single object — the eternal 
Son of God suffering for the sins of man. 
Consider the dignity of his person, "God manifest in 
the flesh;" the purity of his nature, the perfection of 
his obedience: yet, when he "made his soul an offer- 
ing for sin," it pleased the Father "to bruise him." 
If, in wonderful love, he will save his people from 
destruction, he must be " wounded for their trans- 
gressions, and bruised for their iniquities." "The 
chastisement of their peace was upon him, and with 
his stripes they are healed." "Holy, holy, holy is the 
Lord God Almighty!" 

That view of the divine purity which the transaction 
upon the cross exhibits, suggests the propriety of an 
earnest address to the consciences of those who are 
living in sin. Are you in the habit of practising what 
God has forbidden, or neglecting what he has command- 
ed % Are you influenced by principles which the Bible 
will not countenance, or indulging dispositions which 
it absolutely condemns 4 ? Are you seeking your hap- 



42 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



piness in the pleasures, the profits, or the pride of life, 
whilst salvation, and the God who proposed it, are 
equally neglected 4 ? To such I would say, "Look to 
the cross. There see the evil of transgression; there 
behold the danger of your state. There you may learn 
what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the 
living God. There you may be convinced, better than 
by a thousand arguments, that the workers of iniquity 
shall be destroyed. If God spared not his own son, 
but delivered him up to be crucified and slain, what 
shall be the end of those who obey not the gospel 4 ? 
How shall they escape who neglect so great salvation 4 ?" 

Other glorious perfections of our God are illustrated 
and magnified by the undertaking and sufferings of his 
eternal son: — his faithfulness, in accomplishing the 
salvation he had promised, notwithstanding the insults 
and ingratitude, the perverseness and rebellion of sinners, 
for a period of four thousand years ; his power, in con- 
trolling the malice and policy of Satan, as well as in 
making the evil principles and corrupt affections of man- 
kind subserve and promote his gracious design; his 
wisdom, in causing mercy and truth to meet together; 
in conveying happiness to sinners, and yet testifying 
his abhorrence of their transgressions; in securing, by 
the same transaction, the pardon, the fear, and the 
hatred of all iniquity. 

II. The Lord Christ is the Way to the favour of 
God. 

When man had fallen from duty and from happiness ; 
when, by transgression, he had dishonoured Him whose 
name only is excellent, and had destroyed the harmony 
of that government which infinite goodness, no less 
than infinite wisdom, had established ; it rested entirely 
with God whether he should make bare the arm of his 
vengeance, or hold forth the sceptre of his grace. In 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



43 



the midst of judgment he remembered loving-kindness. 
The insulted Lawgiver assumed the endearing character 
of the Prince of Peace, the God of Hope, the Father 
of mercies. " The seed of the woman shall bruise the 
serpent's head," was at once an evidence of unparalleled, 
and a pledge of everlasting, love. This simple declara- 
tion was mighty, through God, to the pulling down of 
the strong holds of despair ; by opening a door of hope, 
it opened the heart of the conscious offender; by afford- 
ing an intimation of forgiveness, secured his ingenuous 
repentance; and by suggesting a perfect deliverance 
from the ruins of the fall, awakened a desire and a 
resolution, neither languid nor ineffective, of returning 
to happiness by returning to duty. The same declaration 
which announced the certainty, revealed, in a measure, 
the method of salvation. It preached the doctrine of 
substitution. It intimated, though obscurely, what was 
published with increasing perspicuity from age to age, 
that "Messiah should be cut off, but not for himself;" 
that this gracious Deliverer should be "wounded for 
our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities;" that 
"the chastisement of our peace should be upon Him, 
and with his stripes we should be healed." This is 
that glorious salvation which was the subject of almost 
every prediction; which supported and purified the 
Church of old; which was accomplished at Calvary 
amidst the convulsions of nature; and which is now 
tendered in the Gospel "to every creature." Promises 
and types, patriarchs and prophets, apostles and martyrs, 
unite their testimony in proclaiming that the blood of 
Jesus Christ is the Way to the favour of God; — 
that "no man cometh unto the Father but by him." 

An application of this important part of our subject 
may very properly be made, whilst I consider some of 
the properties of this way to God. 



44 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



In the first place, it is open to all. Much has been 
said, and in a temper and manner as opposite to the 
genius of the Gospel as the spirit of Satan is opposite 
to the mind of Christ, both for the limited and the 
universal extent of the death of Jesus. These angry 
disputants have need to be reminded, that, whilst they 
contend earnestly for the faith, without forbearing one 
another in love, they undermine the cause they mean 
to support; they sacrifice the beauty and the comforts 
of godliness to the pride of party ; they exhibit religion 
not as "altogether lovely," but in a state of mutilation, 
deformity, and disgust; they strengthen the hands of 
infidelity, which they seem desirous to enervate; and, 
to say all in a word, they betray their Master with a 
kiss. Without glancing at the controversy concerning 
the extent of the efficacy of the salvation of Christ, few, 
I apprehend, will deny that the offer of it is made to 
all. "He that hath ears to hear let him hear." "If 
any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." 
" Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." 
Even the most hopeless characters are addressed with 
an affectionate importunity which no compassion less 
than divine would condescend to use. "Hearken unto 
me, ye stout-hearted, that are far from righteousness: 
I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, 
and my salvation shall not tarry." Nay, the "kings 
and the rulers of the earth" who " take counsel together 
against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, let 
us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords 
from us," are intreated and commanded to "kiss the 
Son," and have a promise of blessedness if they "trust 
in him." Here, then, is encouragement to the weak, 
if they feel their impotence; to the guilty, if they ac- 
knowledge their offences ; to the enslaved, if they lament 
their bondage, and groan for deliverance ; to the most 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 45 

depraved and detestable, to the very opposers of God 
and the persecutors of his people, if they be willing to 
make application unto Jesus for pardon, grace, and 
salvation. He will "in no wise cast you out." The 
door of mercy is set open in the gospel, nor can the 
confederate hosts of hell, nor even the number and 
magnitude of your transgressions, shut it against you. 
Pray for strength that you may have ability to enter, 
and there will be joy in heaven at your recovery from 
ruin. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be 
as white as snow; though your heart be in league 
with iniquity, it will renounce and abominate its idols ; 
though destruction and misery are in your ways, you 
will rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 

I observe, in the second place, that this way to God 
is safe. Salvation was the fruit of unmerited love; 
but salvation oy Christ was the scheme of eternal 
wisdom. If, then, this glorious perfection of Jehovah 
preclude the possibility of his proposing the accomplish- 
ment of an end by inadequate or precarious means, 
the security of the prescribed method of redemption 
and of those who embrace it, must at once be acknow- 
ledged. But we are not left to collect encouragement 
merely from conclusions, however fairly and incontro- 
vertibly deduced : the veracity of him, whose faithful- 
ness reacheth unto the clouds, is the ground and 
support of our confidence, the source of our joy, the 
pledge of our glory. In condescension and loving- 
kindness, worthy of himself, he has interposed both by 
his promise and his oath ; " that by two immutable 
things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we 
might have a strong consolation, who have fled for 
refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us." These 
are the bulwarks of the City of God : and it will be 
the happiness of the upright but desponding believer 



46 JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 

to mark them well. Thus garrisoned, he may disre- 
gard the assaults of unbelief, bid defiance to the storms 
of persecution, and pity the malice, despise the policy, 
and smile at the rage of hell. In a word, when 
almighty power can be defeated, uncreated wisdom con- 
founded, infinite goodness exhausted, and everlasting 
faithfulness fail; or, what is the same thing, when 
God can cease to be God — he may then, but never 
till then can he, perish, and that faith which builds 
upon the word and the work of Jesus, be disappointed 
of its end — final, complete, and eternal salvation. 

In the third place I remark that Jesus Christ is 
the only way to God. To treat opponents with love, 
and their opinions with candour; to make allowance 
for the infirmity and prejudice with which they have 
to struggle; is certainly the duty of every professor of 
godliness. And so far as the law of kindness is absent 
from his lips, and the spirit of benevolence from his 
heart, so far is he distant from the meekness and gen- 
tleness of Christ. But charity, when in its highest 
exercise, will not ask permission to confound truth with 
falsehood, to represent all opinions as equally safe, and 
thus to invalidate the word of God, and virtually deny 
the necessity and efficacy of the death of his Son. 
Charity receives its being and its direction from the 
Spirit of God; and when this Spirit speaks of "dam- 
nable heresies, "and of a " way which seemeth right unto 
a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death," 
charity refuses an alliance with that boasted "liberality 
of sentiment" which affects to think well of the states 
of all, whatever be their opinions, their principles, or 
pursuits. This latitudinarian conceit may receive its con- 
futation from the case and the destruction of the Jews. 
They had a "zeal of God," and they "followed after 
the law of righteousness;" but they "attained not to 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



47 



the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they 
sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of 
the law: for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone." 
They submitted not themselves to the righteousness of 
God: they rejected the remedy for sin, which infinite 
wisdom had ordained. Hence, their efforts were ineffec- 
tual ; their apparent excellency was the offspring of 
pride; their religion was not merely "vain," but "an 
abomination to the Lord;" and their end was with 
those whom "God resisteth." 

What an alarm should the sad issue of their delusion 
excite in the advocates of human merit ! Let morality, 
both in disposition and in practice, be cultivated with 
patient sedulity; let it expect and enjoy the applause 
of society which it benefits, and, when resulting from 
christian principles, the admiration of Angels and the 
approbation of God ; but let not morality, however pure 
in its motive and glorious in its end, usurp the throne 
of the Saviour, or presume to contest or divide with 
him the honour of man's salvation. " Other foundation 
can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus 
Christ." Keject this ground of dependence, and you 
oppose the counsels, the love, and the authority of 
Jehovah; you proclaim that the atonement of Christ is 
an absurd, because an unnecessary interposition; you 
avow your determination to risk eternity upon duties 
which have been defective, interrupted, and defiled. 
Nay, to say all in a word, when you speak of the 
merit of obedience, you speak of that which the most 
exalted Seraph before the throne would blush to men- 
tion, and the mention of which would cost him his 
glory; you treat that with contempt into which even 
the " Angels desire to look," and you rush upon the 
"thick bosses of the buckler" of that God whose frown 
is hell, and whose resolution is fixed and published, 



48 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE, 



EVERY ONE THAT EXALTETH HIMSELF SHALL BE ABASED. 

Turn away your eyes, then, from beholding vanity; 
rest not for pardon upon what needs forgiveness ; let self 
bow down before the Son of God ; and whilst you seek 
to excel in virtue, glory in nothing save in the cross 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. "We do not," says an 
excellent writer, "propose this way of salvation as the 
best and most pleasant, but as the only way. There 
are none in heaven but will say it is the only way; 
there are none in hell who can say otherwise. Take 
this path, then, or you perish for ever."* 

III. Jesus Christ is the Way to communion with 
God. It is the perfection of wisdom to pursue the 
best ends, and by the most effectual means. The converse 
of this proposition holds equally true. It is the con- 
summation of folly to neglect the greatest good, or to 
seek it by inadequate methods. If this be granted, 
how preposterous the folly, how fatal the infatuation, 
of the generality of mankind! They are designed for 
immortality. They are standing upon the borders of 
the eternal world. They have time afforded them for 
working out their salvation; and the gospel offers to 
their acceptance the pardon, the presence, and the king- 
dom of God. But observe and deplore their ruinous 
stupidity. They spend money for that which is not 
bread. They range from vanity to vanity, solicit en- 
joyment from the riches, the pleasures, and the pomps 
of life ; and with an ardour which neither disappointment 
nor success can extinguish, continue the pursuit of what 
is at the best precarious, frequently destructive, always 
unsatisfying. And for these uncertain, and, if you will 
allow the expression, painful gratifications, they sacrifice 
that time, upon which eternity depends; they barter 
away those souls, in comparison with which the dignity, 

*Dr. Owen. 



\ 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



49 



the wealth, and the fate of kingdoms, are vanity itself; 
they abandon that God, whose favour is better than 
life ; and they provoke that wrath, which will " burn 
unto the lowest hell." 

But, for ever magnified be the Father 'of mercies, 
his grace can communicate to the "earthly" spirituality 
of affection; impart to the "sensual" purity of mind; 
transform what is "devilish" in its origin and end, 
into the graces of the Spirit; and teach the grovelling 
desires of the soul to centre upon no less a good than 
the glories and the God of heaven. " Lord, lift thou 
up the light of thy countenance upon us," is an evidence 
of the existence and vigour of christian principles; is 
a foretaste and a pledge of eternal glory. 

To a soul that has received this holy and heavenly 
bias, every gratification will appear insipid, every pursuit 
degrading, every affection unlawful, which is not regu- 
lated by the will, and does not issue in the enjoyment, 
of the Almighty God. He considers it the essence of 
duty, and the preservative of his godliness, to "set the 
Lord always before him;" he esteems, because he has 
experienced it to be, his only happiness, to enjoy 
communion with his Maker. To this communion Jesus 
Christ is the Way. No man cometh unto the Father, 
and exulteth in the sense of his presence and his love, 
but by the Son. Would you, then, contemplate Him 
"whom the Heaven of heavens cannot contain, who 
inhabiteth Eternity, whose name is Holy," under the 
amiable and endearing character of the "Father of 
mercies," the "Friend," and the "Portion," of his people? 
You must of necessity contemplate him in the person, 
and through the mediation, of his Son. Do you feel 
necessities which no human bounty can supply, temp- 
tations which no human wisdom can elude, corruptions 
which no human power can subdue, and do you wish 

G 



50 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



to make supplication to your God for counsel and for 
grace *? You must bow the knee in the name of Jesus. 
Hear the Apostle : " Seeing then that we have a great 
high-priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the 
Son of God — let us come boldly unto the throne of 
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to 
help in time of need." Does a sense of accumulated 
blessings excite you to thankfulness % When reviewing 
the bounties of providence, and the richer blessings of 
grace ; when contemplating the forbearance which spared 
you in a state of ignorance and rebellion, the mercy 
which blotted out your iniquities, and the patience 
which has borne with your subsequent insensibility and 
ingratitude — is the flame of adoring gratitude kindled 
within you, and are you eagerly inquiring, "What shall 
I render unto the Lord"? Whatever tribute Conscience 
may dictate, and the Bible command, you must offer it 
in the name of Jesus Christ. The defilement which 
cleaves, and which will cleave to your most holy emo- 
tions and most elevated expressions of gratitude, must 
be removed by the atonement and intercession of the 
Son of God ; and, thus purified and recommended, they 
will ascend, even before the throne of immaculate and 
infinite holiness, an acceptable sacrifice. Whatsoever 
ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the 
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, and the Father, hy 
Him. 

IV. The Saviour is the Way to eternal blessedness 
in heaven. Infidelity has presumed to declare that 
"there never was a popular religion, which represented 
the state of departed souls in such a light as would 
render it eligible for human kind that there should be 
such a state."* Let the ignorance and unbelief of the 
audacious author of this assertion call forth the tear of 

* Hume's Dialogues of Natural Religion. 



i 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



51 



commiseration, but let the falsehood and horrible ten- 
dency of the assertion itself be detested and exposed. 
Christianity, it need not be concealed, promises not to 
its most holy professors perfect happiness in this world. 
Exposed, as others, to the invasion of calamity, personal, 
social, and domestic, and equally susceptible of every 
painful sensation; assailed by the iron hand of perse- 
cution, or wounded by the unkindness or defection of 
pretended friends to godliness ; cast down at seasons 
through gloom and perplexity, and forced to bewail the 
coldness and instability of affection towards God; assault- 
ed by "the fiery darts of the wicked," and feeling the 
power and restless importunity of remaining corruptions 
— they "go through much tribulation." "If, then, in 
this life only they have hope in Christ, they are of all 
men most miserable," and a regard to the Epicurean 
maxim, " Let us eat and drink for to-morrow we 
die," would be the consummation of wisdom. But the 
mysterious drama of misery is hastening to its close; 
and Kevelation not only points to the period, but 
explains the design, of the afflictions of the people of 
God. It teaches us that this world is only their pas- 
sage to a better; that it is a state of discipline and 
not of continued enjoyment; that the most painful 
dispensations are commissioned by eternal love, and are 
under the direction of unfathomable wisdom, to "work 
together for their good." It further assures us that 
suffering is to be succeeded by rest, conflict by triumph, 
partial and interrupted comfort by complete and ever- 
lasting happiness. 

And not only the certainty, but, in a measure, the 
nature, of future blessedness is revealed. "And the 
city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon 
to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and 
the Lamb is the light thereof." "And they sing the 



52 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the 
Lamb, saying, ' Great and marvellous are thy works, 
Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, thou 
King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and 
glorify thy name % for thou only art holy : for all nations 
shall come and worship before thee, for thy judgments 
are made manifest.' " " Thou wast slain, and hast re- 
deemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, 
and tongue, and people, and nation."* The sources of 
enjoyment here pointed out, are a view of the glory, 
or perfections, of God and the Saviour — a perception 
and adoration of the divine rectitude in the administra- 
tion of his government — love and thankfulness to the 
Almighty and All-gracious Redeemer, for an experienced 
and a perfected salvation. 

They who are admitted to "the marriage-supper of 
the Lamb," contemplate Him without a veil, who is 
the author of all natural created excellence, the origin 
of all moral beauty. Knowledge is gratification to the 
soul. How refined, then, how exalted, how ineffable 
the gratification, when no inferior an object than the 
Lord God is seen, not as "through a glass darkly," 
but "face to face:" — when he is beheld, not merely 
in the grandeur of his Majesty, but arrayed in the 
milder glories, of his grace — is considered not only as 
an object of admiration, but of enjoyment — not only as 
the universal and righteous Sovereign, but as a "portion," 
and an "exceeding great reward." 

But further: the "spirits of just men made perfect" 
adore and glorify the Lord God Almighty, because his 
"ways are just and true, and his judgments are made 
manifest." For the present, "he holdeth back the face 
of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it." Many 
of his dispensations appear to the sceptical inquirer, 

* Revel, xxi. 23.— xv. 3, 4.— v. 9. 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



53 



contradictory ; * to the careless observer, without design ; 
to the devout believer, mysterious. The existence and 
triumph of moral and natural evil in a world created 
and governed by a Being of infinite holiness, goodness, 
and power; the connection between Adam and his 
posterity, which involved the latter in depravity and 
consequent transgression; the very partial propagation 
of the Gospel, when the disease, against which it is 
an antidote, is universal, affecting all people, nations, 
and languages ; the obstacles which impede the progress 
of vital Christianity, arising from the weakness, the 
infirmities, or the misconduct, of many of its professors ; 
are subjects, among various others, which human pride 
and ingenuity may pretend to investigate, comprehend, 
and explain, but before which christian humility will 
bow down in silence. But the hour is rapidly advan- 
cing, when the "clouds and darkness," with which the 
divine counsels and conduct are environed, will be for 
ever dispersed. Reason asserts the probability, and the 
sacred records establish the certainty, of " his judgments 
being made manifest." We shall behold, and acknow- 
ledge with adoring gratitude, that he hath done all 
things well. We shall see that, when confounding our 
plans, he was acting wisely ; when disappointing our 
expectations, he was consulting our peace ; when striking 
at our dearest enjoyments, he was securing our final 
good. And, upon taking a survey of his universal 
government, we shall perceive, that when moving in 
the most mysterious, he was moving in the most 
righteous, way; that he was bringing order out of 

* Mr. Hume supposes that " God has neither moral good nor moral evil in 
him, on account of the mixt appearance of things in the world, which seems to 
exclude the idea of either perfect goodness or perfect malice." The weakness 
and absurdity of this horrible scepticism, is very ably exposed by Mr. Milner, 
in "Gibbon's account of Christianity considered." Part iii. Sect, xii. 



54 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



confusion, light out of darkness, the happiness of his 
intelligent creation out of their misery, and the glory 
of his own great name out of that dishonour which 
the introduction of sin had occasioned and continued. 
Thus the Lord of Hosts shall be exalted in judgment ; 
and the exaltation of the Creator is the triumph and 
the happiness of every holy creature. 

To these sublime sources of gratification must be 
added an "eternal weight" of blessedness, resulting 
from a sense of obligation to that love, the greatness of 
which demands no less amazement than adoration, and 
the effects of which will be experienced and gloried in 
through everlasting ages. "Worthy is the Lamb that 
was slain," is the universal anthem of heaven; and 
this acknowledgment of obligation will be at once the 
theme and exultation, the duty and delight, the em- 
ployment and reward, of the ransomed of the Lord. 

These are the sources of that final, permanent, and 
perhaps increasing happiness, which Christianity promises. 
But however refined in its nature, however enlarged its 
dominion through every faculty of the soul, however 
inexpressible with respect to its degree, Jesus Christ is 
the way of access to, the Purchaser, the Bestower, 
and the Guardian of it. When the question is asked, 
" What are these which are arrayed in white robes, 
and whence came they?" the answer is explicit and 
decisive. "These are they which came out of great 
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them 
white in the blood of the Lamb ; therefore are they 
before the throne of God, and serve him day and night 
in his temple, and he that sitteth on the throne shall 
dwell among them. They shall hunger no ' more, 
neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on 
them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the 
midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead 



\ 
V 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



55 



them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall 
wipe away all tears from their eyes." 

Two reflections, arising from the preceding observa- 
tions, will conclude the discourse. 

I. The expectation of that fulness of joy which is 
in the presence of God, may serve as an apology for 
their watchfulness, ardour, and diligence, who are mnning. 
the race that is set before them. Are you ready to 
condemn them for unnecessary strictness, thinking "it 
strange" that they will not accompany you to "the 
same excess of riot," or at, least join in what you term 
your innocent amusements P The subject which has 
been discussed should silence every censure, for it 
explains to you the mystery, and evinces the wisdom, 
of their conduct. They have neither time nor inclina- 
tion to pursue the vanities you recommend. They are 
sinners against God, and they have hell to avoid ; they 
are invited by the Gospel of grace, and they have 
heaven to obtain. Knowing the shortness and insta- 
bility of life, they dare not loiter. Assaulted by 
enemies without, and in danger from the treachery of 
enemies within, they cannot deliberately indulge in what 
would dissipate the mind, and throw them off their 
guard. The " crown of glory" is set before them, and 
since it eclipses everything that the world can offer, 
they "press toward the mark, for the prize of the high 
calling of God in Christ Jesus." Do you call this 
enthusiasm'? Blaspheme not the God of Heaven. If his 
religion deserve any attention ; if to secure his favour 
deserve any diligence; if to be admitted to the dignity 
of his children, and the blessedness of his kingdom, 
deserve any exertion; they deserve the attention, the 
diligence, and the exertion of the whole soul. Luke- 
warmness is iniquity, inattention is madness. 

Persevere, then, in your spiritual course, ye faithful 



56 



JESUS, THE WAY TO LIFE. 



followers of the Saviour, unsophisticated by the subtilty, 
unsubdued by the allurements, unawed by the fear, of 
the world. The hour is rapidly advancing when the 
value of your principles will be ascertained, the wisdom 
of your pursuits experienced and made manifest. You 
must walk through the valley of the shadow of death. 
The path is not only gloomy but untried; the state to 
which it leads is unchangeable in its nature, eternal in 
its duration. But it is your duty as well as privilege 
— it is for the honour of your profession, as well as for 
the consolation of your soul — to be seeking and expect- 
ing such communications of grace, that, in your departing 
moments, you may be enabled to testify — " Though my 
flesh and my heart are failing" — though my transgres- 
sions have been multiplied, and vengeance is deserved — 
though I am about to stand in the presence of the holy, 
the righteous, the insulted Majesty of Heaven, "I fear 
no evil:" having "taken hold of the Covenant," having 
rested upon the atonement and the promise of my Re- 
deemer, I feel, and I exult in proclaiming it, that " God 
is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." 

II. If the prospects of the obedient believer be glorious, 
his supports adequate to the degree, and his consolations 
adapted to the time, of his necessities, the prospects of 
the worldling are tremendous, his support is presump- 
tion, his consolation insensibility. "Be not deceived; 
God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, 
that shall he also reap." If you "sow to the flesh," 
if your affections centre upon present indulgencies, heaven 
is despised and abandoned, God is dishonoured and 
provoked, your souls are sacrificed and lost for ever. 



57 



SERMON III. 

THE PRINCIPLES AND EXTENT OF CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE * 



Gal. v. 6. — For in Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth anything, 
nor uncircumcision, but faith which werketh by love. 

That the religion which God Almighty has condes- 
cended to promulgate is adapted and adequate to the 
removal of every misery to which sin has exposed the 
world, is a truth very generally acknowledged, however 
partially or faintly it may be felt. A religion founded 
upon principles of such extensive benevolence, and 
offering its blessings, with a liberality worthy their 
magnitude, to "every creature," however limited his 
capacity, however obscure his situation, however loaded 
with transgression ; — such a religion, one might imagine, 
needed only to be published, to arrest and fix the 
attention of every mind, to excite admiring and thank- 
ful love within every heart, and to call forth enraptured 
and unceasing hallelujahs from every tongue. 

But alas ! man is not merely a child of sorrow and 
of wrath, he is likewise the servant of depravity ; and it 
is only upon our admitting his depravity, and admit- 

* Preached at Leicester, in 1794, on behalf of the Leicester Infirmary and 
Lunatic Asylum, and published at the request of the Governors of those Institu- 
tions, in the same year. 

H 



58 



TfrE PRINCIPLES AND EXTENT 



ting it in all its dreadful latitude of degree and con- 
sequence, that we can rationally account for the following 
mysterious and melancholy facts ; that Christianity, though 
it is the express image of the moral excellence of its 
Author, has been treated as if it had neither "form nor 
comeliness;" that Christianity, though its beauty de- 
pends upon the mutual relation and connection of its 
several parts, has been unfairly and absurdly mutilated ; 
that Christianity, though it describes a moral disease 
of which all are the subjects, and reveals a remedy 
which all are invited to participate, has met with an 
opposition as determined and virulent, as if, instead of 
offering an antidote, it increased and confirmed the 
malady; as if, instead of discovering, and endeavouring 
to allure into, the path of eternal glory, it led down, 
by some delusive or irresistible power, to the chambers 
of everlasting darkness. 

Whilst in every age of the Church the religion of 
the Son of God, in its most essential parts, has proved 
a stumbling-block to some, and appeared foolishness to 
others, not a few even of its pretended advocates, have 
given mournful evidence that though they boasted of 
its excellency they mistook its nature ; though they 
professed its doctrines they perverted its design ; though 
they were willing to bow the knee at the name of 
Jesus, they were equally willing to "crucify him afresh." 

It would have been well if these disgraceful and 
destructive evils had lost their frequency or their effects 
through the lapse of time: it would have been well, 
if, in an age which boasts of pre-eminent discernment, 
we had known nothing of error but from its description 
in the Bible, nothing of its consequences but from the 
detail of the historian. Alas ! a very limited and tran- 
sient observation of the state of the moral world will 
too easily and too fully convince us, that antichristian 



OF CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE. 



59 



sentiment and conduct still continue to exist and triumph. 

On the one hand, we behold the Antinomian. This 
man, who is asking of his conscience a license to 
transgress, who is attempting to combine the indulgence 
of his lusts with the hope of heaven, the favour of 
God with an opposition to his will; this man seeks 
refuge from his fears under the unauthorized and un- 
hallowed persuasion, that a mere assent to the great 
truths of the Gospel will suffice to his eternal peace. 
But what is the language of such a system as this? 
It proclaims that the Son of God is confederate with 
the Prince of Darkness ; that he came down from heaven, 
not to raise mankind above the ruins of the fall, but 
by conniving at, to give a sanction to their iniquity, 
which is at once the degradation of their nature, the 
source of all present misery, whether felt or feared, 
and the parent of that worm which will never die. 

On the other hand, we discover the advocate for 
human merit. This man, who, looking through the 
dazzling and deceitful medium of inordinate self-love, 
imagines that his duties have a brilliancy which must 
command admiration, and a magnitude which will not 
only counterbalance his sins, but establish a claim upon 
his God; this man, equally with the character already 
considered, mistakes and perverts the Gospel, endangers 
and destroys his immortal soul. For if we divest 
him of the glare which his own presumptuous delusions 
have thrown around him, what shall we behold? A 
creature risking eternity upon actions, which have 
been always defective and often defiled; a sinner, the 
habit of whose soul should be profound abasement, and 
the exercise of whose lips importunate supplications for 
mercy, exalting himself into a claimant upon divine 
beneficence; a rebel, invited by stupendous compassion 
to pardon and to blessedness through the blood of a 



60 



THE PRINCIPLES AND EXTENT 



Redeemer, venturing, with equal ingratitude and arro- 
gance, to divide or to contest with that Redeemer the 
praise of his salvation. In a word, we behold a crea- 
ture, a sinner, and a rebel, pleading his own polluted 
obedience, and, in consequence, pleading a neglect of 
the blessed Jesus, as the ground for an admission to 
the favour of a righteous God, and to the glories of 
his eternal kingdom. 

Equally remote from Pharisaical haughtiness and 
Antinomian profligacy appears the great Apostle of the 
gentiles, whether we examine his doctrine, or scrutinize 
his conduct. He always, with a provident circumspec- 
tion, associates faith and practice, promises and com- 
mands, privileges and duties, affording to each a due 
proportion of regard, assigning to each its proper place. 
Of his watchful attention to this beautiful and neces- 
sary connection we have a cloud of witnesses in each 
of his epistles. I have selected one from the number 
to be the subject of the present discourse. "For in 
Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth any thing, 
nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love" 

This is Christianity : and if we would understand its 
nature and penetrate its design, behold its excellency 
and rejoice in its blessedness, we must contemplate and 
possess its graces, in their combination and order as 
exhibited in the Gospel. 

The words of the text suggest to our consideration 
the two following points. 

I. The nature and the office of " faith." 

II. Its energy and effects: it " worketh by love." 
This discussion will lead me, by a very easy and 

obvious transition, to recommend to the usual, nay, I 
will venture to add, to an increasing exertion of your 
benevolence, that valuable institution, in behalf of which 
I have this day the honour to plead; that so not only 



OF CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE. 61 

its permanency may be secured, but its benefits ex- 
tended; that it may be furnished with the means, not 
merely of diffusing its accustomed blessings, but of 
folding within its beneficent arms a new and a most 
melancholy description of objects, which have every 
possible claim upon our tenderest sympathy, our firmest 
protection, our most effectual succour.* 

I consider, in the first place, the nature and the 
office of -faith." 

The christian believer has yielded a sincere and a 
feeling assent to the divine position, that "all have 
sinned, and come short of the glory of God." With a 
seriousness and an anxiety becoming an immortal upon 
the verge of eternity, he has called his ways to remem- 
brance: he has reviewed the prevailing principles by 
which he has been actuated, the affections, tempers, 
and imaginations he has habitually indulged, and in the 
manner in which his time and his talents, his mercies 
and his faculties, have been severally employed. The 
retrospect which Conscience thus faithfully exhibits, is 
neither gratifying to his pride nor productive of peace. 
He stands convicted at the tribunal of his own heart, 
of having, in instances beyond the reach of calculation, 
opposed the will, violated the law, and trampled upon 
the honour, of the Lord his God. 

But further. Another declaration of the Bible, solemn, 
unambiguous, and decisive, has engaged his attention 
and constrained his belief; "All the world is become 
guilty before God." His reason and his fears had taught 
him the probability that vengeance is the desert of trans- 
gression; the scriptures of eternal truth have established 
the certainty of the awful fact. He therefore submis- 
sively acknowledges that the wages of sin, yea of his 



* The Lunatic Asylum was this day opened for the reception of patients. 



62 



THE PRINCIPLES AND EXTENT 



sin, is death; an everlasting exclusion from the kingdom 
of glory, and a participation of those horrors which no 
vigour of imagination can comprehend, which no lenity 
will relieve, and no time must terminate. Hence, he 
stands before his God abased, alarmed, and confounded. 
He opens his lips, not to deny or to palliate his transgres- 
sions, but to confess them in all their deformity of 
ingratitude and insult, and attended with the hateful 
aggravation of careless or of obstinate repetition. He 
presents himself before his Judge, not to arraign the 
equity of the sentence which condemns him, but to pour 
out his humbled heart, in the meek but importunate 
spirit of the Publican, " God be merciful to me a 
sinner." 

We are now contemplating a transgressor of the law 
of God indulging a disposition suitable to his character, 
and imploring pardon with an earnestness becoming his 
situation. We are contemplating an offender surmount- 
ing the disgrace, and escaping from the misery, of the 
Fall; for we are contemplating one, to whom the promises 
of the Gospel are directed, over whom the Angels are 
beginning to rejoice, and upon whom the high and lofty 
One that inhabiteth eternity is looking down with com- 
placency and love.* 

But let us accompany the believer in his transition 
from fear to hope, from anxiety to peace, from gloom 
to exultation. He has been taught by the word and 
the Spirit of the Lord, that a deliverance, which man 
had neither wisdom to devise, nor goodness to attain, 
nor strength to effect, has been fully and for ever accom- 
plished by the Son of God. He has been taught, and 
he credits the animating assertions, that "the eternal 
Life which was with the Father" " made himself of no 



* Matt. v. 3. Luke, xv. 10. Isaiah, lxvi. 2. 



OF CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE. 



63 



reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant;" 
that this condescending and wonderful personage " became 
obedient to the law, for man/' "suffered for sins, the 
just for the unjust," and, after he had "overcome the 
sharpness of death, opened the kingdom of heaven to 
all believers." Hence he perceives a beauty, and he 
feels an attractive energy, in the sacred and conclusive 
position, "Other foundation can no man lay, than that 
is laid, which is Jesus Christ." To this foundation 
he eagerly approaches ; and he rests upon the Saviour's 
obedience unto death, for present security and peace, 
for final and complete redemption. He does not, and 
he dares not, associate with the blood of Immanuel 
his own duties, whether religious or moral : he does not, 
because he is. assured that the atonement of the cross 
is as extensive as his iniquities; he dares not, because 
he is informed by the same authority, that if he ven- 
tures upon the experiment "Christ shall profit him 
nothing." 

We have now attained, I trust, a scriptural idea of 
that faith with which salvation is connected. It is 
preceded by a view of the evil, and an apprehension 
of the consequences, of sin : hut its grand discriminating 
property consists in making that the alone ground of 
our hope towards God, which alone has satisfied his 
justice for our si?is. In a word, it is a principle pro- 
duced in the heart by the power of the Divine Spirit; 
the object of its regard and reliance is Christ crucified; 
and its fruits are f ^ Glory to God in the highest, and 
good will towards men." 

This idea leads me to consider, in the second place, 
its energy and its effects: it "worketh by love." 

We have already accompanied the believer to the 
time, when, impelled by necessity, allured by invitations, 
and encouraged by promises, he ventured to trust in the 



64 



THE PRINCIPLES AND EXTENT 



Redeemer for mercy and for peace. The consequences 
of his unreserved affiance are immediate and glorious, 
extensive and everlasting. His unrighteousness is for- 
given, and his sin is covered. Though ungodly, he is 
justified* Though he had yielded subjection to the 
Prince of Darkness, he is now become the charge of 
Angels, "f Though he had lived to no better purpose 
than to neglect and insult his God, he is now restored 
to his favour, and made happy in his love. He dares 
to call him Father, and to expect from him all that 
tenderness which uncreated goodness can manifest, and 
all that protection which almighty power can afford. 
He is assured by promises, neither few nor ambiguous, 
that in this passage through a dangerous and a miser- 
able world, he shall receive wisdom adequate to every 
difficulty, courage or support adapted to every conflict, 
consolation or patience proportionate to every distress. 
He is further assured, that when the last tremendous 
moment shall arrive, when the earth shall reel to and 
fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and the powers 
of heaven shall be shaken, he will be sustained in con- 
fidence amidst the general convulsion, and be carried 
in triumph through that hour of vengeance which 
reduces the world to ashes. 

Imagine him to have these expectations, grounded upon 
the immutable faithfulness and mercy of Jehovah, and to 
possess a true though inadequate idea of that misery 
from which he is redeemed, of that exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory to which he is reserved, and of 
the tender compassions of that Redeemer, at the expense 
of whose humiliation, sufferings, and death, his deliver- 
ance and blessedness were purchased : — and then inquire, 
"What must be his emotions, what his prevailing 
dispositions?" The Bible has afforded us an answer. 

*Rom. iv. 5. fHeb. i. 14. 



OF CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE. 65 

(< Having much forgiven him, he loves much." That 
original and sacred law which sin had obliterated, is 
again written upon his heart. His affections are 
transferred from vice and vanity to his adorable and 
adored Benefactor. To feel the vastness of his obliga- 
tions forms the essence of his happiness, and to evidence 
a becoming sense of them, by the unaffected effusions 
of gratitude, and by the silent tribute of an obedient 
life, is his aim, his prayer, and his glory. 

But his love to God is productive of a love to man- 
kind, pure in its principle, and exalted in its degree. 
Himself the object of the most stupendous benevolence, 
his heart is softened, and, in a measure, moulded into 
the same image. He reveres and he bows to the au- 
thority which commands him to consider himself as a 
member of one common family, composed of all people, 
nations, and languages, created by the same Father, 
partakers of the same nature, comprehended in the 
same invitation of one glorious Gospel. Indulging these 
views, his soul is expanded; he rises superior to the 
sordid selfishness in which he had been engulphed, and 
he experiences the delight of that sacred principle which 
seeketh not her own. Hence, if he be not diffusing 
blessings with a liberal and an extended hand; if he 
be not a father to all the fatherless; if he make not 
every widow's heart to sing for joy; if he be not visiting 
the African in his affliction, to rend asunder the chain 
which avarice has forged, and infernal cruelty has 
riveted; if he be not traversing the moral world, that 
he may teach the guilty how they may sing of pardon, 
the captives of deliverance, and "them, who have no 
might " of the succour of an everlasting arm ; if he 
be not dealing happiness through the whole creation, 
and making earth appear the vicinity of heaven, the 
reason is this — his means and his opportunities bear 

i 



66 



THE PRINCIPLES AND EXTENT 



but a scanty proportion to the extent of his' desires 
and the fervour of his supplications. 

Say now, ye suspicious advocates for morality, whether 
salvation hy grace betrays or promotes her interests. 
Say, what can inspire that benevolence, which seeks 
its direction from the word of God, and proposes, as 
its end, the honour of his name; — which can compre- 
hend within its grasp the whole world of beings, and 
maintain its vigour though frequently called upon to 
communicate ; which can preserve its fervour, under the 
chilling requital of ingratitude, and persevere in its 
progress through misconception or calumny, satisfied 
and thankful if the sum of human misery be diminished, 
and the approbation of God secured? Adopt the sen- 
timent of the Apostle, and answer, the love of 
Christ. 

The discussion of the origin, nature, and extent of 
christian charity, very obviously leads me to consider 
in what ways, and to what degree, the desires of the 
benevolent may be fulfilled, by a generous encourage- 
ment of that institution for which I am appointed to 
plead. 

The afflicted poor, I observe, meet with that season- 
able assistance, which, by removing their affliction, 
divests their poverty of its poignant evil. Let us sup- 
pose a labourer or mechanic arrested in the career of 
his industry by the mysterious but holy providence of 
God, and laid upon a bed of sickness. All those 
simple sources of satisfaction which the goodness of the 
Lord Almighty has opened for the comfort of the indi- 
gent, are at once dried up. Departed is that enjoy- 
ment which arose from a cessation of daily toil ; gone 
is that pleasure which resulted from the. reflection, that 
the pittance he had earned would support the family 
he loved; and all the mild and rational delights of 



OF CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE. 



67 



domestic intercourse are fled. Perhaps, by the per- 
severing efforts of labour, and by a watchful frugality, 
he had accumulated a little hoard, for the support of 
a widow, or the benefit of a child. This hoard is 
resorted to, and alas! is soon exhausted; and though 
he has expended but little, the heart of sensibility will 
feel that he has expended his all. But he is not a 
solitary sufferer, nor is it from the combination of his 
own pain and necessities that his misery principally 
arises. Sis near connections are bending under the 
calamity; and whilst they are feeding upon the bread 
and the water of affliction, every pang is augmented ; 
the scene, which was at first gloomy, assumes a darker 
aspect; and, to use the language of inspiration, the 
"iron enters into his soul." Is the assistance of a 
parish requested 4 ? If a refusal can be given with im- 
punity, a refusal, in many instances, may be expected. 
If relief be afforded, it is not unusually afforded with 
a parsimonious reluctance which embitters the miserable 
pittance, or with insult and reproach, as if calamity 
were a crime: for alas! the prevalent mode of farming 
out the poor, has given birth to a system of oppression, 
which issues at once in the increasing obduracy of the 
oppressor, and in the aggravated distress of the needy 
and afflicted. 

To rescue from this pitiable state of wretchedness; 
to impart, under God, the glow of health where sick- 
ness had exerted its ravages ; to give to a depressed 
and a desponding family "the oil of joy for mourning;" 
— such is the glorious employment of the present hour. 
Heart will surely vie with heart, and hand will emu- 
late hand, in this godlike work of beneficence and 
mercy. 

A second reason, upon which I would ground an 
earnest solicitation of your liberality, arises from the 



68 



THE PRINCIPLES AND EXTENT 



circumstances of the times. Attempts are made by the 
sophist under the guise of argument; by the insolent, 
under the mask of bold integrity; by the lawless and 
disobedient under the specious and lovely form of 
Liberty ; to persuade the poor that they are bending 
under oppression which they never felt, and treated by 
their superiors with a contumelious neglect which they 
never observed. You have now an opportunity of 
exercising the most enlarged benevolence, by endeavour- 
ing to counteract the artful and malicious ^delusion ; 
the delusion, which has a manifest tendency, and is 
perhaps intended, to excite that tempest which would 
overwhelm in one common ruin our security and our 
peace, our religion and our laws, our comforts and our 
all. By encouraging an Asylum, opened for the com- 
fort of the lower orders of the community, where their 
wants, in the hour of affliction, are supplied, and where 
their pains and maladies are mitigated or removed, 
they will see and they will feel that they are not the 
objects of that contempt which anarchy would persuade 
them to imagine, nor exposed to any calamity which 
opulence refuses to commiserate and relieve. Thus, the 
oblations of Christian love may prove the oblations of 
patriotism, and he who this day has pity upon the poor, 
may be found, and that not remotely, a supporter of 
the Kingdom. 

I feel myself under a peculiar obligation to solicit 
no common exertion of your munificence, because our 
charitable institution is about to extend its hospitable 
shelter, and, we trust, its healing blessings, to that 
most pitiable class of our fellow-creatures, who exhibit 
our common nature in melancholy and complete deso- 
lation. The Insane Poor, for whom I am this day 
a feeble advocate, are unable to plead their own cause. 
Unable did I say 4 ? I retract the word There is a 



OF CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE. 



69 



language in their situation — there is an eloquence, both 
in their mischievous wildness, and in the silent gloom 
of their despondency — which pleads more forcibly than 
could the tongue of an Angel. They address you 
through that state of degradation and helplessness to 
which they are reduced, and this is their address : — ' 4 We 
are strangers, Oh, take us in ; strangers to the dignity of 
acting by a perfect, or even by a precarious rule — for 
the light of revelation reaches not our benighted intel- 
lects, and the lamp of reason is put out in darkness; 
strangers to the comforts of social and domestic inter- 
course — for we are the burden and the grief of our 
connections, the terror of the timid, and the sport of 
the profane ; strangers to the love and the enjoyment of 
our God — for we are precluded from his worship, cut 
off from the glorious privilege of seeking his favour, 
and are incessantly liable to rush into an awful eternity, 
without a summons, and perhaps without a preparation. 
Oh then, have compassion on us, and help us." That 
this language is energetic and effective, the contributions 
of the present hour will, I trust, abundantly testify. 
An emulation purified from selfishness, an ambition 
sanctioned by the Gospel, will, I hope, be in ardent 
and vigorous exercise, whilst we are uniting in the 
sublime endeavour to restore, in every possible instance, 
man to himself, a member to society, a comforter to 
his family, a worshipper to his God. 

The fashion of this world passeth away. The time 
is advancing, the moment is pressing hard upon us, 
when the groans of affliction and the voice of mirth 
will alike be stifled in the dust; and when we shall 
have received, at the bar of unerring and final decision 
an irrevocable sentence, either to eternal life and a crown 
of glory, or to "the bitter pains of everlasting death." 
It follows, therefore, that a charitable institution, which, 



70 



THE PRINCIPLES AND EXTENT 



whilst it provides for the removal or alleviation of present 
calamity, looks forward to the world of spirits, and 
studies the welfare of the immortal soul, has claims 
upon our regard, strong, peculiar, and even infinite. 
These claims I would urge with earnestness, in behalf 
of the Leicester Infirmary. 

By a wise and pious appointment, the objects of our 
present attention, when not incapacitated by the nature 
or the degree of their disease, are statedly required to 
join in that admirable form of worship, which for spiritu- 
ality and copiousness of sentiment, simplicity and reverence 
of expression, bears no faint resemblance to the language 
of inspiration. They enjoy, likewise, the invaluable 
privilege of hearing the word of Grod published and 
expounded; of having its doctrines elucidated, and its 
precepts enforced; of having its awful sanctions pressed 
upon the conscience, and the rich treasures of redemp- 
tion exhibited in all their magnitude and in all their 
freeness. The effect has not altogether been unworthy 
the design, nor the means of grace unaccompanied with 
grace from on high. That a moral change has been 
produced, clear and determinate in its nature, beneficial 
and permanent in its effects, proofs, repeated and decisive, 
might readily be adduced ; proofs which should constrain 
the adoring acknowledgment, "This is the finger of 
God;" proofs, which will stimulate every benevolent 
heart to abound in this work of faith, this labour of love. 

Let us for a moment dwell upon the animating idea, 
and contemplate a character which has been softened 
and impressed, renewed and made happy, within the 
walls of your Infirmary. 

You received him, enveloped with ignorance, and 
wandering in the path of . obliquity and ruin ; you 
send him forth in the possession of that knowledge, 
which is connected with life eternal. You received 

\ 



OF CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE. 



71 



him, either a timorous or a sullen slave of his lusts, 
tilling up the measure of his sins, and anticipating the 
dreadful reward: you send him forth, rejoicing in the 
liberty wherewith Christ hath made him free, and exul- 
ting in a hope full of immortality. You received him, 
a burden and a pest to his fellow-creatures ; you send 
him forth an ornamental and a useful link in the 
social chain. You received him, prepared perhaps by 
habits of transgression, for tumult, rapine, and rebellion : 
you send him forth under the influence of Gospel 
principles, and therefore — thankful, for the protection of 
equal laws, thankful for the enjoyment of civil and 
religious liberty, thankful for the mild and beneficent 
administration of a gracious Sovereign, whom he has 
now learned to reverence; for the Scripture which has 
taught him to fear his God, has taught him, with the 
same perspicuity, from the same authority, and under 
the same tremendous sanctions, to f< Honour the king." 

But let us accompany him to the concluding conflict, 
and then follow him beyond the confines of the earth. 

He who might have manifested, at the awful hour of 
his departure, either gloomy silence or despairing horrors, 
feels that Almighty support, that efficacious consolation, 
which can give him a triumphant composure amidst the 
agonies of dissolution, and sustain his hopes whilst 
eternity is opening before him, and a God of immaculate 
purity is presented to his view. He who, at the morn- 
ing of the resurrection, might have been calling on the 
mountains to fall on him, and the hills to cover him, 
lifts up his head with confidence and rapture, for he 
recognises a Saviour in the great Arbiter of his doom, 
and beholds his complete redemption drawing nigh. He 
who might have been appointed to a trembling station 
on the left hand of the Judge, and sentenced to the 
bitter employment of " weeping, and wailing, and gnash- 



72 THE PRINCIPLES OF BENEVOLENCE. 



ing of teeth/' is associated with his friends, and called 
upon to bear a part in that chorus of gratitude, adoration, 
and joy, "Blessing, glory, honour, and power, be unto 
him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, 
for ever and ever." 

But are these benefits confined to the individual who 
has been instructed, pardoned, and renewed No : the 
blessing he has received may be as extensive in its 
effects as it is excellent in its nature. When he ceases 
to be the charge of your beneficence, he comes forth 
into the world to ".make manifest the favour of the 
knowledge of Christ," and to let his light shine 
before men. He has a family, whom he can exhort 
with authority; he has a neighbourhood, to whom he 
can preach by his integrity and kindness ; he has fellow- 
creatures in every corner of the earth, for whom he can 
importunately pray, and upon whom he may draw down 
the everlasting riches of the salvation of God. 

Thus a little leaven may leaven the whole lump. 
The advantages received in your House of Mercy, may 
be felt and increasingly diffused through the suc- 
cessive ages of the world: nay, they may assist in 
bringing forward that glorious and predicted period, when 
the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth, as 
the waters cover the sea. A stronger argument for 
your liberality I cannot urge: may its energy reach 
every heart, and may the effects of that energy be such 
a contribution, as will issue in the glory of our God — 
in the immediate comfort, and in the final and perfect 
blessedness, of immortal souls! 



\ 
\ 



73 



SERMON IV. 

THE NEW CREATION. 



Isaiah xli. 20. — That they may see, and know, and consider, and un- 
derstand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and 
the Holy One of Israel hath created it. 

To regard the works of the Lord with a wakeful 
attention, and to consider the operations of his hands 
with adoring affections, is a high attainment in christian 
duty, and a most gratifying foretaste of the enjoyment 
in that holy kingdom where God is all in all. When 
nations, bold in infidelity, and sunk in crime, are 
shaken and laid waste; or, when some presumptuous 
offender is arrested and overthrown in a. manner un- 
usually solemn; the believer, who is exercised unto 
godliness, will acknowledge the Divine will, righteous- 
ness, and power. In the overwhelming visitations he 
will perceive that it is God who is performing his 
"strange work." He will revere the justice which 
strikes. He will devoutly take up the language of the 
Seraphim before the throne, "Holy, holy, holy, is the 
Lord of hosts." 

When the Lord, with peculiar clearness and abun- 
dance, displays the riches of that mercy in which he 
delighteth: when Satan is beheld as lightning falling 

K 



74 



THE NEW CREATION. 



from heaven, and the name and salvation of Jesus are 
" exalted, and extolled, and are very high," the christian 
approaches with a cheerful haste to "see this great 
sight." He rejoices to perceive his Lord arrayed in 
the garment of grace. He has renewed evidence that 
"God is love." His faith in the promises becomes 
still more faithful. His hope acquires animation and 
strength, and his soul exults and cries out, "0 Lord, 
I will exalt thee; I will praise thy name." 

In the chapter from which the text is taken, the 
Lord God describes the case of awakened and neces- 
sitous souls. They " seek water and there is none, 
and their tongue faileth for thirst." But the compas- 
sions of the Most High are awakened. He listens to 
the mournings of their distress; he pledges his faithful 
word, that his own right hand shall bring them effectual 
succour — "I the Lord will hear them: I the God of 
Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high 
places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys : I will 
make the wilderness a pool of water, and dry land 
springs of water." The next verse contains a beautiful 
but figurative description of the glorious consequences of 
receiving truly the salvation of God. "I will plant in 
the wilderness the cedar, the shittah-tree, and the myrtle, 
and the oil-tree. I will set in the desert the fir-tree, and 
the pine, and the box-tree together." Thus the souls 
which had been barrenness and desolation, were ordained, 
through the riches of the grace of God, to rejoice and blos- 
som as a rose. But were these high and signal evidences 
of the Lord's loving-kindness to be overlooked'? Were 
the showers of his free and eternal mercy, which pro- 
duced such immortal beauty and comfort, so bountifully 
to descend, and should no tribute of praise and glory 
be returned 4 ? The text speaks a different language. 
" That they may see, and know, and consider, and 



THE NEW CREATION. 



75 



understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath 
done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it." 

The occasion on which I now address you, is at 
once solemn, instructive, and animating. I speak to 
you at the request of one who lately worshipped amongst 
us, but who has put off mortality, and mingled with 
the spirits of the just made perfect.* She saw that 
the time of her dissolution was drawing nigh ; she 
beheld death approaching, but without his sting. Her 
feeble frame was sinking, but she was serenely joyful. 
She experienced the presence and consolations of God: 
and with a most benevolent earnestness desired that 
all around her might know and receive that se great 
salvation," which, in its mercy, power, promises, and 
prospects, she found to be necessary and precious to her 
departing spirit. She wished to speak t& her fellow 
sinners, even after her decease: to stand, as it were, 
between the broad and the narrow path : calling to the 
many, (( The wages of sin is death ; " and to the few, 
" Forget the things that are behind; press forward, and 
secure the crown." She hoped that the bright solem- 
nity of her dying moments might be improved and 
sanctified, through the Lord's blessing, to the benefit 
of the living. I beg your fervent prayers, that the 
blessing may be abundant, extensive, abiding, and 
eternal. 

I call your attention to three points. 

I. The work to be accomplished in the soul which 
will be saved, is a great work. It is so great, that 
"the hand of the Lord" can alone do it: "the Holy 
One of Israel" must create it. 

II. This most important work was largely experienc- 
ed and evidenced by her, whose decided godliness and 
triumphant death we are now privileged to review. 

*Miss Fox, of Lancaster. She died February 9th, 1812, aged 28 years. 



THE NEW CREATION. 



III. This bright manifestation of the grace of God 
should be devoutly noticed, and seriously improved. 
"That they may see, and know, and consider, and 
understand together." 

I. The work to, be accomplished in the soul which 
will be saved, is a great work. 

If we would know religion, we must first know 
ourselves. That there is a holy and a safe method of 
access unto God, will interest none but those who 
previously understand their wicked alienation, their 
dangerous distance, from him. The trumpet of mount 
Horeb must shake the conscience, or the blood of mount 
Calvary will flow unheeded. If the "ministration 
of righteousness" be welcomed, "the ministration of 
condemnation" must prepare its way. The influences 
of the Holy Spirit may likewise be offered, with all 
the sincerity of divine faithfulness, and all the earnest- 
ness of infinite compassion, yet, with insolent inattention 
we shall pass by on the other side, unless we have 
discovered, as the excellent Bishop Horne has well 
expressed it, that naturally we are "blind, and deaf, 
and dumb, and even dead in sin." 

The description which the God of truth has given 
concerning the fallen state of man, is clear, full, and 
alarming. "There is none that understandeth ; there 
is none that seeketh after God." "The imagination of 
mans heart is evil from his youth." "The heart is 
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." 
"The carnal mind is enmity against God." "Cursed is 
every one that continueth not in all things that are 
written in the book of the law to do them." And can 
creatures, with minds so darkened, with guilt so enormous, 
with habits so ungodly, with a taste so vitiated, with 
a nature so totally corrupted, pass forward into eternity 
with safety and in peace*? Would they venture, even 



\ 



THE NEW CREATION. 



77 



if they were able, to press into that kingdom where a 
God of righteousness is upon the throned Would 
there be no sword of divine justice turning every way 
to cut off their unpardoned souls from the possibility of 
rest*? And could they, with hearts averted from God, 
rejoice in his holy presence % Could the opposers of 
free grace delight in celebrating its effects *? Could 
the carnally minded join in the songs of purity, the 
unthankful in the adorations of gratitude, and the neg- 
lecters of salvation in the praises of the Lamb % These 
few inquiries may assist in convincing us, that in the 
state and dispositions of the soul which will be saved, 
a vast change must be effected. 

The descriptions of the Bible, concerning the change, 
are neither few nor feeble. <s And you hath he quick- 
ened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." ''Who 
hath called you out of darkness into marvellous light; 
which in time past were not a people, but are now 
the people of God ; which had not obtained mercy, but 
now have obtained mercy." "If any man be in Christ, 
he is a new creature; old things are passed away, 
and behold all things are become new." "That which 
is born of the Spirit is spirit." To limit a work, 
which such energy of expression is employed to describe, 
to notions, ceremonies, or any externals whatever, is to 
insult the wisdom of the Holy Spirit who gave the 
word, and to vilify the grandest manifestation of the 
creating power of God. We surely learn, if we learn 
anything from the preceding scriptures, that religion is 
nothing less than the diffusion of divine light in a 
mind which was "sometime darkness;" the enjoyment 
of mercy, where sin was reigning unto death; and the 
implantation of holy principles, where self and satan 
were directing every movement of the soul. 

Behold, then, man in a state of sin, and man in a 



78 



THE NEW CREATION. 



state of salvation. In a state of sin,, he is a rebel 
against the Most High. In his habits, in his heart, 
in his nature, he is always opposing God. He may 
not be grossly immoral ; nay, in the various decencies 
of life, and the externals of devotion, like Saul of 
Tarsus he may be "blameless:" but, like Saul, he 
acts from a wrong principle, and therefore his works 
"are not pleasant to God, but have the nature of sin."* 
Self is his idol, his motive, his object. He is alienated 
from God. He is unmindful of his presence, un- 
affected by his operations, unthankful for his mercies. 
He neither submits to his righteousness, nor seeks his 
grace. He minds earthly things; and if death over- 
take him, in this state of wretched distance from God, 
the distance will be fixed, and fixed eternally, as far 
as heaven from hell. 

Now view man rising, through grace, above the 
ruins of the fall. He is quickened by divine power; 
he is taught of God ; he has received the heart of flesh ; 
he feels that he is immortal. He is roused to exertion ; 
he confesses his guilt, his depravity, his weakness. 
He loathes himself for his abominations ; he implores 
mercy as a criminal condemned; and he trusts in the 
Redeemer's obedience unto death, as all his salvation. 
He renounces everything that he may "win Christ, 
and be found in him." He prays earnestly for sancti- 
fication, through the Holy Ghost. He loves and obeys 
the Lord. He separates from an evil world. He 
thirsts for holy and spiritual enjoyments. He longs 
for God as his portion. He fights the good fight of 
faith, and lays hold on eternal life. 

These are the outlines of that great work which 
the merciful hand of the Lord accomplishes in the 
"little flock," — the "heirs of the kingdom." 

* 13th Article of the Church of England. 



THE NEW CREATION. 



79 



I would here pause to ask you, the people of my 
charge, a single but solemn question : Are you recovered 
from your sinful wanderings, and brought nigh unto 
God, through the blood and spirit of his Son 4 ? Examine 
yourselves whether you be in the faith. Examine 
seriously, for strait is the gate and narrow is the way 
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 
Examine instantly, for this night your souls may be 
required of you. 

II. This most important work was largely experienced 
and evidenced by her, whose decided godliness and tri- 
umphant death we are now privileged to review. 

You will not imagine that I intend to exalt the 
creature. You must not suppose that I would ascribe 
any native goodness, or wisdom, or strength, to a fallen 
sinner. Ah ! no. It was God who wrought in her to 
will and to do. She shone indeed brightly, but she 
shone by reflection. Her soul was turned steadily 
towards the ss Sun of righteousness," and the beams of 
his blessed Spirit fell abundantly upon her. By grace 
she was saved: and while she is celebrating the ex- 
ceeding riches of that grace in her Father's house 
above, let not us presume, in his courts below, so to 
speak or think as to rob him of one particle of his 
glory. This being premised, I exhibit before you 
some beautiful features in her christian character. 

1. She was deeply humbled. She had become well 
acquainted with her fallen, apostate nature. She knew, 
not from theory or description, but from experience, 
that the heart is deceitful above all things, and despe- 
rately wicked. She saw likewise that her obligations 
to the Lord who had bought her with his blood, and 
called her by his grace, were immense; and that even 
her best attempts to serve and honour him, were all 
defective and defiled. The consequences of this com- 



80 



THE NEW CREATION. 



bined knowledge of God and of herself were precious. 
She felt the temper of mind which became a sinner; 
she sat down in a low room; she was clothed with 
humility. If she spake of herself, her eyes were thrown 
upon the earth. But in her last illness, her poverty 
of spirit had a large increase. This was her language 
— " The longer I live, the greater need I discover that 
I should lie still lower in the dust." With a perception, 
unusually piercing and spiritual, both of the holiness of 
God and the evil of sin, she saw more clearly than 
ever, that if God should reward her according to her 
iniquities, her desert and her place was hell. In this 
penitent frame of mind, stripped of all self-sufficiency, 
and abasing herself ever more and more, this saint of 
God continued, until her Saviour called unto her, " Come 
up higher ;" until she experienced, in the eternal world, 
the fulfilment of the promise, " Blessed are the poor in 
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 

2. She was much affected with God's holy and 
gracious method of saving sinners. She saw, admired, 
and adored. She beheld the glory of her God in the 
works of creation; but she exclaimed, "How is this 
glory eclipsed in the great work of redemption! I 
stand astonished at the mercy." Here was a divine 
light poured into her understanding, and a heavenly 
taste communicated to her heart. She was of one mind 
with the spirits of the just made perfect: for she 
rejoiced in that wondrous plan which they are celebra- 
ting before the throne. She was of one mind with 
the angels of light : for she admired what they " desire 
to look into." She was of one mind with the Lord of 
glory: for she loved and delighted in that stupendous 
work of his wisdom and grace, through which he will 
be known, and for which he will be adored and mag- 
nified, for ever and ever, God, who commanded the 



THE NEW CREATION. 



81 



light to shine out of darkness, had shined into her 
heart, to give her the light of the knowledge of the 
glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. 

3. She rested her soul upon the sure foundation. 
When it pleased the Lord to discover to her the sinfulness 
and misery of her fallen and guilty state, whither could 
she flee for succour*? The law of God had condemned 
her; it could reveal no mercy; as a covenant, it could speak 
of nothing but death and the curse. Every faculty of 
her soul was corrupted, and every duty was defiled. 
When she would do good, evil was present with her. 
She was therefore shut up unto the faith: and, under 
the guidance of the unerring spirit, she looked to the 
Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. 
She poured forth earnest supplication that she might 
win Christ, and be found in him. Thither every desire 
tended ; there every hope was fixed. Her minister, a 
short time before her death, repeated to her those 
beautiful lines which so well and strongly describe the 
nature of that faith which apprehends the Saviour, and 
saves the soul. 

" Other refuge have I none : 
Hangs my helpless soul on thee." 

The fine, habitual feeling of her heart was touched; 
her tears flowed abundantly; her words were expres- 
sive and affecting. The whole scene was a bright 
manifestation that her Redeemer was her all; that she 
even clung to his cross; and that the gates of hell 
were not permitted to destroy or even to weaken the 
firm grasp of her reliance. It was strong as death. 
"He that hath the Son, hath life." "Blessed are all 
they that put their trust in him." 

4. The love of God was shed abroad in her heart 
by the Holy Ghost which was given unto her. She 
beheld his glory, in the person of Christ. In him 



82 



THE NEW CREATION. 



dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and 
Immanuel was the object of her supreme affection. 
Under the influence of this holy principle, her counte- 
nance, even while her feeble frame was sinking, re- 
minded me of what is recorded of Stephen: it shone 
"as it had been the face of an angel." On laying- 
down her head upon a pillow, this was her admiring 
language; "My Eedeemer had not a pillow like this, 
on which to lay his head: and he suffered all for our 
sins." On experiencing, after severe anguish, some 
remission of her pain, her grateful heart thus overflowed: 
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within 
me, praise his holy name. What shall I render unto 
my God, for all his undeserved mercies ? " She was 
made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light : 
for she had received their dispositions, and had learned 
their songs. 

5. Her resignation to the will of her heavenly Father 
seemed to be complete. At intervals she suffered keenly 
from bodily disease: but not a murmur escaped her; 
not a murmur I believe was felt. A near relation 
having expressed a fear, that she had passed "a bad, 
restless night ;" she replied with a smile, " Do not say 
bad: it has pleased the Lord, and it ought to please 
me." Her minister spoke to her to the following 
effect : " If the Lord should give you a choice, whether 
you should recover or die, would you make the choice?" 
Her answer was the following : " My will is treacherous. 
It might deceive me. I would leave it with him." 
Amidst weakness and pain, and the anxious desires of 
affectionate friends for her recovery, her God had taught 
her that high and difficult lesson, to submit cheerfully 
to the decisions of his wisdom and love; to lie like 
clay in the hand of his covenant faithfulness ; and to 
say unfeignedly, "Thy will be done." 



THE NEW CREATION. 



83 



6. She enjoyed the Ml assurance of hope. Her 
confidence of safety — her firm expectation of approach- 
ing glory, did not arise from sudden impulses, from 
. transient joys, from imaginary visions. No. It was 
solid ; it was scriptural : it was the fruit of the Spirit. 
It was accompanied by joy, but not produced by it. 
It arose from a believing view of the all-sufficiency of 
the redeeming work of Jesus; from a conviction, that, 
upon the warrant of God's free invitation, she had 
rested upon it as all her salvation ; from a conscious- 
ness that the grace of Christ had wrought mightily in 
her soul ; and from a persuasion, founded on his sure 
promise, that he was reigning upon his throne, to keep 
what she had committed unto him, and to preserve 
her to his heavenly kingdom. When she discovered 
that her sickness was unto death, she examined, with 
more than usual seriousness, into her state for eternity: 
and she found, as she expressed it, that she was 
"upon the Rock." This was her language: "Blessed 
be his name, I have found in whom I have believed. 
He has given me to see, though unworthy of the least 
of his mercies, his blessed promises ; and I can, through 
divine assistance, rest upon them. Well may it be 
said, that the peace of God passeth all understanding." 
When seized with a symptom which might have been 
followed by almost immediate death, the question was 
asked her, "Have you any fear*?" Her answer was 
this — "Fear! Oh no: I have a glorious Redeemer." 

Thus supported by the hope of the gospel; thus 
exhibiting, in beautiful union, the different graces of 
the christian character ; thus refreshed by the conso- 
lations of God ; this happy sufferer, this redeemed 
sinner, this victorious believer, fell asleep in the arms 
of eternal mercy. She is taken out of the furnace, to 
shine brightly in the kingdom. She has fought the 



84 



THE NEW CREATION. 



good fight, and the palm of triumph is in her hand. 
She has overcome, and is made a pillar in the temple 
of her God, and she will go no more out. She has 
finished her course, and has received the crown. She 
has seen her Saviour in his glory, and she is singing 
the "new song." She is absent from the body, but 
present with the Lord. 

III. This bright manifestation of the grace of God, 
should be devoutly noticed, and seriously improved. 

The Lord has made bare his holy arm; he has 
wrought amongst us a great work; he has displayed 
and magnified his abundant grace. He has spoken to 
us distinctly and loudly, and in the following language : 
"Behold the nature and the blessedness of my great 
salvation!" Let us pour forth prayer, that the high 
privilege of witnessing the merciful visitation, may be 
duly felt, remembered, and acknowledged by us to the 
glory of God. 

I shall attempt an improvement of the subject, by 
applying it to different characters. I speak, in the first 
place, to those who are anxiously inquiring, What is 
truth? Your anxiety is becoming; your inquiry is 
important. The eternal welfare of your soul is awfully 
suspended upon the success of your search. If you 
cordially receive the truth, it will make you free. It 
will be the means of your holiness and salvation.* If 
you reject or neglect it, the consequence is determined 
and declared. "Because they received not the love of 
the truth, that they might be saved. And for this 
cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they 
should believe a lie: that they all might be damned 
who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unright- 
eousness." f The inquiry then, What is truth? is 
unspeakably solemn and momentous. 

* John xvii. 17. f 2. Thess. ii. 10, 11, 12. 



THE NEW CREATION. 



85 



Great and saving effects are promised to follow the 
publication of the gospel of God. "My word shall 
not return unto me void." "We have this treasure in 
earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may 
be of God, and not of us." " For our gospel came not 
unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the 
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." " I have planted, 
Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." So then 
neither is he that planteth any thing, neither is he that 
watereth, but God that giveth the increase." These 
scriptures teach us, that "a man can receive nothing, 
except it be given him from heaven;" that doctrines 
may be stated with clearness, and applied with eloquence, 
yet they will be stated and applied in vain, unless it 
can be said of the preachers, "They went forth, the 
Lord working with them." 

If, then, everything which is good and heavenly in 
its tendency cometh from above, and is the fruit of the 
Spirit; and if, in the character we have considered, 
there was a combination of spiritual affections which 
no power but that which is almighty could produce; 
and if, in the death we have reviewed, there was 
a holy consolation which nothing but the divine presence 
could impart; the following conclusion seems to force 
itself upon us — Either the righteous Lord has marked 
and honoured, by his effectual blessing, the preaching 
of "heresies," which his own Spirit has pronounced 
" damnable ;" or, the principles which the deceased was 
enabled to receive and hold fast, are the pure doctrines 
of the Gospel of God. The former supposition is 
evidently blasphemous, and therefore false; the latter 
conclusion cannot be evaded. 

The religious principles which, through the grace of 
the Holy Spirit, excited the dispositions, and gave the 
victory in death, which we have been permitted to 



86 



THE NEW CREATION. 



review, are the following. She heard and she believed 
that man, by nature, is in a fallen state, alienated from 
God, and enmity against him: that the divine law has 
condemned every transgressor, but that <s God so loved 
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son;" that 
Jesus "suffered for sins, the just for the unjust;" that 
the invitation to accept his mercy is free and unquali- 
fied; that all who are athirst may come, and that 
whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but shall 
have everlasting life; that the faith which gives an 
interest in his eternal redemption, is the gift of God; 
that faith is not merely an assent in the understanding, 
but a consent of the will — a disposition of the heart; 
that it is an approbation of Gods holy and humbling 
method of saving sinners, upon a conviction of our guilt, 
pollution, and misery — and includes, as its very essence, 
an earnest application to, and an entire dependence 
upon, the blessed Immanuel, for pardon, peace, accept- 
ance, and eternal life. She heard and felt the doctrine, 
that they who "receive the atonement" become the 
children of God, the charge of angels, and heirs of 
the kingdom: that love to the Redeemer is the gospel 
principle of obedience, and reliance upon his grace, in 
the exercise of prayer, the appointed means of spiritual 
strength: that they who faithfully follow him in the 
regeneration, will be with him where he is, to behold 
his glory : that in the contemplation of the adorable 
excellences of God in Christ — in the exercise of holy 
and grateful affections for a wonderful and complete 
salvation — and in the perpetual manifestations of the 
divine presence, favour, and love, the redeemed of the 
Lord will find an eternity of joy. 

These were the principles she received and maintained. 
By their operation upon her heart, through the power 
of the Spirit of God, her christian character was formed; 



THE NEW CREATION. 



87 



the days of her sickness became the days of her richest 
consolation, and the time of her departure the time of 
her most elevated triumph. 

To the anxious inquirer after truth, then, I would 
say with confidence: Consider the peace, the holiness, 
and the victory, which have been detailed, and the 
principles which produced them; and your inquiry, 
" What is truth *? " is solidly answered. 

I speak, in the second place, to those who are habitually 
seeking their happiness in earthly things. In this, proba- 
bly, you perceive nothing that is evil. A worldly temper 
does not, like gross iniquity, assume a substance, a body, 
a black and a frightful shape. It does not stain the cha- 
racter. It associates you with the multitude, whose 
similar habits keep you in countenance. A succession of 
cares and vanities prevents reflection. Your conscience 
slumbers quietly ; you feel no alarm ; a morbid stupidity 
benumbs you. You are strangers to all apprehension ; 
as if you had "made a covenant with death, and with 
hell were at agreement." I beseech you most seriously 
to consider, before the time of your visitation is over, 
the nature and the consequence of this worldliness of 
heart. What is its nature? Is it anything less or 
better than a preference of other things before the 
favour, grace, and presence, of the God of salvation? 
And is not this wretched preference the very root and 
essence of all sin 4 ? What is the temper which actu- 
ates the blasphemer, the drunkard, the sabbath-breaker, 
the licentious person, the murderer*? It is a disposi- 
tion to seek gratification in something which is not 
God. And you are doing the same. But what will 
be the consequence of this unsubdued tendency to 
worldly things'? Carry your thoughts forward. Like 
her whose last moments we have . considered, you may 
soon pass through the chamber of disease and pain, to 



88 



THE NEW CREATION. 



death and judgment. But what a difference in your 
character and state ! She spiritual, and you carnal : 
she humbled, and you possessing the heart of stone : 
she rejoicing in her Saviour, and you blind to his 
glory : she looking beyond the grave with a triumphant 
confidence, and you shrinking from the dark valley 
with fear and trembling: she a redeemed sinner, made 
meet by holy affections for a heavenly inheritance, and 
rejoicing in the presence of her God and Judge, and 
you unpardoned, unrenewed, unfit for the kingdom, and 
ignorant of the song; unprepared for everything except 
a station at the left hand, and appointed to have your 
portion with all the enemies of God. Does this sound 
harshly"? It is the Lord's account. He that "will 
be the friend of the world, is the enemy of God:" 
and the enemies of God will "perish."* 

I speak, in the third place, to those who are trusting in 
themselves that they are righteous. You have performed, 
as to the outward act, many duties. You have abstained 
from many sins. You have attended many ordinances of 
public worship. The world speaks well of you; your 
own hearts flatter you ; and you seem to have reason- 
able and firm footing on the ground of your own 
righteousness. That child of God who has lately put 
off mortality, possessed, in the years of her ignorance, 
a similar state of mind: and if amiable dispositions 
towards her fellow-creatures, and external propriety of 
• conduct, could justly warrant the expectation of heaven, 
she might have indulged it. But in the day of God's 
power, the proud delusion was scattered. She saw 
herself a polluted transgressor, deserving the threatened 
wrath. She pleaded guilty. She fled from self to 
the Saviour; 'from defilement to redeeming blood; from 
the curse of the law to the covenant of grace. There 

* James iv. 4. Judges V; 31. 



THE NEW CREATION. 



89 



she found mercy and peace; there she obtained the 
right motive to obedience ; there she learned what that 
scripture meaneth — "The love of Christ constraineth us." 

You, my dear friends, must be like-minded with her, 
or you can never see the salvation of God. You must 
lose the temper of the Pharisee; you must possess the 
lowliness of the Publican. You must cry for mercy, 
as criminals already condemned. You must submit 
unto the righteousness of God. You must come unto 
the Father, by his beloved Son. You must be willing, 
unfeignedly and thankfully, to say ; " In whom we have 
redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of 
sins." You must possess the disposition to enjoy the 
song of the redeemed, "Worthy is the Lamb that was 
slain." Unless this hope, and these affections, are 
formed within you, you can have no confidence but 
what will fail you in the hour of need. If, through 
some more than common stupor of soul, it should 
survive amidst the solemnities of sickness and death, it 
can survive no longer. It is a plant which the hand 
of God has not planted, and it must be rooted up. It 
will not and it cannot have existence when the 
trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised. 
Then it will appear that every one who had exalted himself 
shall be abased. Then it will be evidenced, that "he 
who hath not the Son hath not life, but the wrath of 
God abideth on him." 

I address myself, in the fourth place, to weak 
and inexperienced believers. Blessed are your eyes, 
for they see; though perhaps feebly and indistinct- 
ly. You are made to differ from what you lately 
were. You thought yourselves good, though you were 
disregarding God; you supposed yourselves wise, 
though you were immortal beings trifling with immor- 
tality ; you imagined yourselves safe, though you were 

M 



90 



THE NEW CREATION. 



every moment exposed to "indignation and wrath, 
tribulation and anguish." But the delirium is over; 
you are come to yourselves. Your understanding is 
enlightened, and often does your heart tremble. You 
are athirst for God: but you perceive that much is to 
be done before the soul can be happy. You see that 
the guilt of sin must be removed; that the power of 
evil must be destroyed; that the world must be over- 
come; that holy affections must be in exercise; that 
the promise must be fulfilled, "I will dwell in them, 
and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they 
shall be my people." You feel your weakness ; and 
you fear that the rich mercy will never be enjoyed — 
that the vast work can never be accomplished. But 
have you not known, have you not heard, that they 
who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ? 
Have you never read the promise — "A bruised reed 
shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not 
quench?" Did you never glance your eye upon the 
merciful assurance, " I will give to him that is athirst, 
of the fountain of the water of life freely?" What 
think you of that distinguished monument of grace, 
which we this day contemplate? Like you she was 
a sinner — a fallen spirit — with a nature totally depraved, 
and a heart "desperately wicked." Like you, she 
was "without strength;" insufficient to her own resto- 
ration : unable to repent, or to believe, or to love God. 
But in earnest supplication she went to the source of 
all mercy, grace, and comfort. She applied unto God 
in Christ. She found pardon, and peace, and help. 
She laid hold on the great salvation; she rejoiced in 
hope of the glory of God. 

Need I inform you that the fountain at which she 
drank, is still full and is still flowing? If she could 
now address you, something like this would be her 



THE NEW CREATION. 



91 



language. " Why are ye fearful, O ye of little 
faith*? I have seen the Saviour: he is full of grace 
and truth. In my earthly pilgrimage I often dis- 
honoured him by my unbelieving suspicions. Do not 
you dishonour him likewise. He is meek and lowly 
in heart. Spread before him your necessities: he will 
not disregard them. Pour out your supplications: he 
will not refuse to hear them. Lift up your souls: he 
will not reject them. Come unto him just as you are, 
and he will in no wise cast you out." Something like 
this would be the exhortation of the departed saint. 
Let the feeble then be strong; let them not despise 
the day of small things. Let them press forward, and 
they will see the salvation of God. 

I speak, lastly, to those who are stronger in the faith, 
and who have scriptural evidence for saying, " We know 
that we are of God." Need I bring to your recollec- 
tion your mercies, duties, difficulties, prospects ? 

Your mercies are immense. You were spared by 
divine patience in the days of your ignorance and 
transgression. You were called by divine grace, 
when you were wickedly wandering from the true and 
only rest of your soul. You are redeemed and cleans- 
ed from all sin, by the precious blood of the Lamb 
of God. You are taught and sanctified by the eternal 
Spirit. You are kept by the power of God, through 
faith, unto salvation. I ask each of you one solemn 
question — "How much owest thou unto thy Lord"?" 
Your hearts surely answer by inquiring, "What shall 
we render^" 

Your duties are manifold. The word of God details 
and enforces them. Contemplate their excellence. 
"The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the 
heart." "By well-doing, put to silence the ignorance 
of foolish men." By well-doing, become burning and 



92 



THE NEW CREATION. 



shining lights, to the conviction of gain-say ers, the 
edification and comfort of the Church, and the glory 
of God. 

Your difficulties are great. Satan desires to have 
you, that he may sift you as wheat. The world, 
which hates your principles, will revile and persecute 
you; and the "body of sin and death," will cause 
you many a struggle, and call forth many a sigh. 
But the promises are sure, and the grace of Christ is 
sufficient for you. Watch and pray; give diligence; 
he separate from the spirit of the world. Maintain 
constant communion with the Redeemer of your souls. 
Fight and follow on, resting upon that word of faith- 
fulness, "I give unto my sheep eternal life, and they 
shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out 
of my hand." 

Your prospects are glorious. "He who hath begun 
a good work in you, will perform it until the day of 
Jesus Christ." Your warfare will be succeeded by 
victory; your toils by the rest of heaven; your light 
affliction, which is but for a moment, by a far more 
exceeding and eternal weight of glory. "Wherefore 
comfort one another with these words." 



93 



SERMON V. 

THE VALUE AND USE OF TIME.* 



Ephesians v. 16. — Redeeming the time. 

The merciful providence of God has again conducted 
us to the close of one year, and to the opening of 
another. These are great events ; and they should be 
devoutly observed and carefully improved. 

The last year beheld us the favoured monuments of 
the patience of God. We were spared, during much 
unprofitableness and many provocations. We were 
spared, while our fellow-sinners were falling on every 
side. They were taken, but we were left. Their day 
of visitation is over; but to us is continued the ac- 
cepted time. We have still the means of grace, the 
sabbaths of God, the invitations and promises of his 
love, the merciful and faithful High Priest, the offered 
Spirit; yea, every opportunity and encouragement to 
work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Surely 
our consciences are applying the prophet's exhortation: 
"Y* shall praise the name of the Lord your God, that 
hath dealt wondrously with you." Surely we are 
praying that this distinguished goodness of our God 

* A New Year's Sermon, preached at St. Anne's in 1816, and published the 
same year, as the first number of the Pastoral Visitor. 



94 



THE VALUE AND 



may be the means of fixing us, without hesitation or 
wandering, his devoted servants for ever. 

The last year has given in its report to God. In 
what ways, and to what extent, it was improved or 
abused, are circumstances known unto Him. They 
are noted down in the book of his remembrance, and 
they will be brought to our recollection in the judgment 
of the Great Day. The thought should arouse and 
affect us. It should lead us to inquire — Where and 
how shall we appear, when the report is published as 
on the house-top? 

Though the opening year is the gift of the Lord's 
goodness, and one of the fruits of the mediation of 
Jesus, yet it seems to lift up a very solemn and warn- 
ing voice. It speaks, and it speaks aloud — "Yet a 
little while is the light with you : walk while ye have the 
light, lest darkness come upon you ; — redeeming the time." 

But the questions arise — What is it to redeem the 
time *? Can the many hours which sin and Satan have 
stolen from us, be bought or ransomed out of the 
hands of the enemies of our souls*? Alas! no. They 
are gone and lost for ever, except for one purpose — the 
very awful purpose of bearing witness against us at the 
judgment-seat of Christ. When, therefore, the apostle 
says "redeeming the time," his meaning may be as 
follows: "Since much of your past time has been 
wasted, and much has been abused, be watchful and 
diligent that your few remaining moments may be al- 
together employed and improved, according to the will 
of God." 

I shall consider two points. 

I. The reasons why the time which may be still 
afforded us should be carefully redeemed. 

II. The ends or purposes to which it should be 
redeemed. 



USE OF TIME. 



95 



I consider, in the first place, the reasons why the time 
which may be still afforded us, should be carefully 
redeemed. These reasons are many and weighty. May 
we feel their influence, and bring forth fruit unto life 
eternal ! 

Time should be redeemed, because much time has 
hitherto been lost. If it should please God so to 
open our eyes and to strengthen our memories, that 
we could recollect and bring into one view all the 
hours we have lived, the frame of mind in which they 
found us, the pursuits in which they were employed, 
and the strict and solemn account we have to give of 
the whole, perhaps there are few, if any, in the con- 
gregation, who would not be covered with shame, and 
overwhelmed with horror. Instead of devoting, with a 
single eye, all our time to the glory of God ; to the noble 
purpose of hallowing his name, and making known his 
great salvation ; to the benevolent purpose of advancing 
the comfort, present and eternal, of our fellow-sinners; 
to the necessary purpose of securing pardon, and holiness, 
and glory, to our own souls ; what mournful confessions 
would conscience be compelling most of us to make! 
One would be exclaiming — "What a life of disregard 
towards God, has my life been! I have despised his 
mercies, and defied his vengeance. I have been a 
presumptuous offender. I have abused every talent. 
I have boldly added sin to sin. I have been making 
haste to destruction. I have been putting to the trial, 
even the infinite patience of my God." A second would 
say — " I have been pursuing the most childish vanities. 
I have been grasping at shadows. I have sought my 
happiness in pleasures; I have forgotten that I was 
immortal. By my conduct I have said unto the Lord 
— ' Depart from me, thou Author of my being, thou 
Giver of my comforts, thou Judge of all the earth. I 



96 



THE VALUE AND 



will pour insult upon thy eternal name, by preferring 
follies before thy presence, salvation, and glory.' I 
have loved the world, and the love of the Father was 
not in me. I have been the friend of the world, and 
therefore the enemy of God." A third would confess 
— " Money has been my idol. I have coveted an evil 
covetousness. I have been seeking to lay house to 
house, and field to field. I have said unto my soul — 
'Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; 
take thine ease ; eat, drink, and be merry ': and if, in 
the midst of my worldliness and wickedness, the Lord 
had said unto me, f Thou fool, this night shall thy soul 
be required of thee,' fatal to me would have been the 
sentence, but true and righteous would have been the 
judgments of the Lord." A fourth would acknowledge 
- — (S I have been endeavouring to build a Babel of self- 
righteousness, from whence I might step into heaven. 
I thought myself wise, though I knew not God. I 
imagined myself good, though all my duties were begun 
and ended in pride and selfishness. I considered my- 
self safe, though I lived in a horrid neglect of the 
precious blood of Christ, and in a wretched disregard 
of that solemn sentence, ' He that hath not the Son of 
God, hath not life."' A fifth would declare — "I was 
dead in trespasses and sins, but the Lord quickened 
me. I was blind, but he opened my eyes. He 
taught me to fear the curse of the law, and to embrace 
the hope of the gospel. I have fled for refuge to 
Jesus Christ. I have trusted in his blood, his promise, 
and his love. In some favoured seasons I have commu- 
nion with him in his ordinances; I taste that he is 
gracious. I have the inward witness that I shall be 
numbered with his saints in glory everlasting. But 
alas ! I have not rendered again, according to the 
benefits done unto me. My warmest thankfulness has 



USE OF TIME. 



97 



been shamefully cold. My best obedience has been 
denied. " The law in my members has warred against 
the law in my mind." I have been prone to forgetful- 
ness and slumber, yea to cleave unto the dust; when 
every affection of my heart, and every action of my life, 
should have been joyfully proclaiming- — "Blessing, and 
honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth 
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and 
ever." 

In one or other of these several confessions there is 
not one present who would not unfeignedly join, if it 
should please God to grant to the whole congregation 
self-knowledge and sincerity of soul. See then the 
necessity of redeeming the time, since so large a portion 
of that which is past has been perverted or lost. By 
many the talent has been wrapped up in a napkin; 
and by many it has been employed in pouring insult 
upon God. 

The time is short. What is our life? It is a 
vapour, which vanisheth away. It is a shadow that 
departeth. The space between the cradle and the grave 
is but as a span long. Nay, there is only a step 
between us and death, though by reason of strength 
we should come even to fourscore years. Such is 
human life, when considered by itself: but when placed 
as it were by the side of eternity, it shrinks to a 
mere point. It is not so much as a feather, if weighed 
against a mountain. It is less, in comparison, than a 
grain of sand, if placed in the balance against all the 
worlds which God Almighty has created. And yet, 
during this short moment of existence, manifold are 
the spiritual mercies to be received from Christ by 
such as shall be saved. They must be taught of God, 
and renewed by his Spirit. They must obtain repent- 
ance and mercy. They must be strengthened, to triumph 

N 



98 



THE VALUE AND 



against the devil, the world, and the flesh. They must 
possess a meetness of disposition for the employments 
of heaven and the enjoyment of God. 

These considerations surely raise a loud voice. Their 
language is this, — "Redeem the time. Let every day 
be improved. Let every hour bear the stamp of 
eternity. Behold the bridegroom cometh: go ye out 
to meet him." 

Life is uncertain. This is a truth which none will 
deny ; though it is a truth which few are disposed to 
bring home to their own cases and consciences. They 
consider death as at a distance. So did the transgres- 
sors in the days of Noah: but their "damnation 
slumbered not." So did the sinners of Sodom: but 
brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven scattered 
their presumptuous delusion. So did millions who are 
now lifting up their eyes in torments. They acted as 
if they had made a covenant with death; but death 
surprised, overwhelmed, destroyed them. So did many 
who, since this morning's sun arose upon the world, are 
gone down into darkness. To think of a secure conti- 
nuance on the earth, amidst the daily wreck of mor- 
tality, is to think the thought of madness. I pretend 
not to the gift of prophecy: but, from the recollection 
of past separations in the congregation, I venture to 
affirm, that, before the close of the year on which we 
are entering, several to whom I am speaking will 
have heard the summons, "Give an account of your 
stewardship, for ye may be no longer stewards." You 
will either be with Christ, redeemed, holy, and blessed: 
or be delivered, like the angels that sinned, into chains 
of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. Is there 
not then a reason, from this very awful uncertainty 
whether we shall be spared through another hour, to 
redeem the time ; to improve each passing moment, 



USE OF TIME. 



99 



which possibly to us may be the last moment in our 
day of salvation? 

The powers of the understanding may instantly fail. 
The Lord, who gave us reason, has hitherto mercifully 
preserved it: and while this lamp continues to burn, 
the redemption of the gospel may be sought, secured, 
and enjoyed. Through the promised Spirit, the igno- 
rant may be brought into marvellous light. They 
may shed tears of penitence, at which angels will 
rejoice. They may come unto Jesus, and, through 
faith in his atoning blood, take hold of the covenant of 
mercy. They may be turned from the power of Satan 
unto God. They may triumph in Christ. They may 
exult in the hope and the prospect of glory everlasting. 
But reason may not be continued. At the Lord's com- 
mand, the faculties of the mind may, in a moment, be 
entirely weakened or deranged: and then the wisest 
would become idiots, and the meekest would become 
madmen. Have you reflected upon the frequency of 
this terrible visitation? Have you considered the con- 
sequence of being left, as to your minds, in a dark, 
bewildered state? It would be the same to you as 
death. It would place you, where the sentence of the 
day of judgment would finally fix you, either among 
the friends or the enemies of God for ever. Living 
then under circumstances so awful and so perilous as 
these, surely every day's respite should be redeemed 
with thankfulness and with godly fear. 

An incurable hardness of heart may be the appointed 
punishment of any further forgetfulness of God. I 
speak to the ungodly and the careless. Conscience 
has often told you that your spot was not the spot of 
God's children; but you stifled the warning voice. 
You have heard the preaching of the cross. It was 
the ministration of comfort to others, but of pain to 



100 



THE VALUE AND 



you. It forced upon you the mournful certainty that 
you had neither part nor lot in the matter. You 
trembled; but you checked your trembling, and went 
on in sin. Behold the precipice! You are tempting 
and provoking the jealous God. His spirit will not 
always strive with man. He may soon and suddenly 
give you up to the entire dominion of your lusts — to 
hardness of heart, and contempt of his word. Then, 
means and sabbaths, and mercies and warnings, would 
find you and would leave you ripening, ever more and 
more, for eternal ruin. I have known several of my 
fellow-creatures left of God to all the frightful and 
fatal effects of a reprobate mind. They employed' the 
hours of their last sickness, not in penitence, and 
prayer, and praise ; not in exercising the dispositions, 
and rehearsing the songs, of heaven ; but in expressing 
the tempers and the language of hell. They were 
falling into the hands of the living God ; and, even 
while falling, they blasphemed his name. They were 
clothed with cursing, as with a garment. They went 
unto their own place. Doubtless there is a God that 
judgeth the earth : and that God will not be mocked. 
To-day, then, if you will hear his voice, harden not 
your hearts. To-morrow he may have said, "Let 
them alone." To-morrow he may have sworn in his 
wrath that you shall never enter into his rest. 

Having noticed the several reasons why the time 
which may be still afforded us should be carefully 
redeemed, I proceed to consider, in the second place, 

The ends or purposes to which it should be re- 
deemed. To secure salvation, to benefit others, and to 
glorify God, are the great purposes which should in- 
fluence every heart, and direct every pursuit. But it 
may be profitable, under the Divine blessing, to be 
more particular. 



USE OF TIME. 



101 



They who have not obtained mercy should,, first and 
instantly, redeem the time by seeking reconciliation with 
God. The class to which I allude, comprehends wilful 
and gross offenders, the careless, the self-righteous, the 
lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, and those 
who have the profession and form of godliness, but are 
without the power. I would press upon the attention, 
and may the Lord impress upon the consciences, of all 
such characters, three exhortations. 

1. Be serious. Consider your ways. The Lord God 
is in earnest, when he publishes the gospel of his 
mercy, and when he adds the threatening, " The wicked 
shall be turned into hell, and all the people that forget 
God." Christ, his eternal son, was in earnest, when 
he made his soul an offering for sin, and endured the 
cross, despising the shame. The Holy Spirit is in 
earnest, when he strives with man; when he sounds an 
alarm in the sinner's conscience; when he excites his 
fears and his resolutions, by reminding him of the very 
righteous and solemn purpose of God ff For all these 
things God will bring thee into judgment." Satan is 
in earnest, when he walketh about seeking whom he 
may devour; when he endeavours to entangle by his 
devices, or to terrify by his fiery darts ; when he tempts 
the impenitent to presumption, and the awakened to 
despair. Thus heaven and hell, the blessed God and 
the infernal destroyer, are interested and in earnest 
about the souls of mankind. And dare you be careless 4 ? 
What means this strange infatuation*? Upon what 
assurance, or hope, or desperate expectation, are you 
indulging it 2 Has the Lord published any new decree, 
that he may now be mocked 4 ? Has he made it known 
that his holiness shall slumber, that his justice shall 
sleep, that his jealousy shall cease to burn, that his 
mercy shall wait, and your lives be spared, until you 



102 



THE VALUE AND 



shall choose to give him the refuse of your affections, 
and the very dregs of your time? Oh no. You are 
deluded, and betrayed, and well-nigh destroyed, by a 
deceitful and wicked heart. Even this night your souls 
may be required of you. Even this night such a ruin 
may overwhelm you as would make the ears of all who 
heard of it to tingle. "Awake ye that sleep, and 
arise from the dead;" leave the lying vanities of a 
perishing world, and flee from the wrath to come. 

2. Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 
Take a survey of your conduct, only through the last 
year. Others were escaping for their lives, but you 
lingered in the Sodom of sin. Others were entering 
into the vineyard, to work the works of God, but you 
stood all the day idle. Others had enlisted under the 
banner of Jesus, and were fighting "against sin, the 
world, and the devil." They were joined to the noble 
army, who, mighty through God, are shaking the 
kingdom of darkness, and advancing the kingdom of 
God's dear Son. But you were serving under a 
very different leader, and were accomplishing very 
different ends. By impenitent disobedience to the 
will of God, and by an unthankful neglect of the " great 
salvation," you were fighting against your own souls, 
against the souls of your fellow-sinners, and against the 
glory of God. Surely you should ( ' sit down in a low 
room" indeed. The disposition which suits your charac- 
ter, is a "broken spirit." The confessions which 
become you, are — "We are verily guilty. Behold we 
are vile. We are not worthy to lift up so much as 
our eyes unto heaven." And the place, the disposition, 
and the confessions which are so suitable and proper, 
are absolutely necessary. There is nothing before a 
sinner — there is nothing before you — but either repen- 
tance or hell. The lip of truth has told us—" Except 
ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." 



\ 



USE OF TIME. 



103 



Go, then, unto the Lord, in earnest supplication, 
Pray daily for his Holy Spirit, that in his light you 
may see the horrid nature of sin; and how it has 
governed and defiled your thoughts, tempers, dispositions, 
principles, words, and actions. Pray to have such 
views of its vileness, and of the depth of your own 
personal guilt, that every high thought may be brought 
low; that the heart of stone may give place to the 
heart of flesh ; that you may confess and feel that you 
deserve the abhorrence and the wrath of God; that 
you may say from the heart — " We repent in dust and 
ashes." 

3. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the 
sin of the world. Do ye not hear the Law which ye 
have broken*? It is lifting up an awful voice; it is 
condemning you to death eternal. It is written — 
" Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things 
that are written in the book of the law to do them." 
Whether you lie down or rise up; whether you go to 
your farm, your merchandise, your amusements, or your 
labour; whether you are surrounded with the comforts 
of the earth, or weighed down with its sorrows; you 
have one constant companion in all you do, purpose, or 
suffer — the anger of your God. "His wrath abideth 
on you." But the gospel preaches peace by Jesus 
Christ. It pleased the Lord to bruise him; and he 
was wounded for our transgressions. He would stand 
between sinners and vengeance, and the stroke fell 
upon him. He suffered for sins, the just for the 
unjust. His blood cleanseth from all sin: and he that 
"believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life." 

Hither, then, through the grace of the Spirit, sought 
in earnest supplication, direct your thoughts, desires, 
dependence. Return unto the Lord your God with all 
your heart ; but return by Christ, who is the door, the 



104 



THE VALUE AND 



way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the 
Father, but by him. Let his free invitation be your 
strong encouragement to approach ; his precious blood, 
your only hope of forgiveness ; and his wondrous love, 
the rejoicing of your soul. Win Christ, and be found 
in him, and mercy will embrace you on every side. 
The promises, the covenant, the witness of the Spirit, 
will unite in assuring you — <e Your sins and your iniquities 
are remembered no more." On the other hand, if you 
continue to neglect the great salvation, you cannot escape. 
If there should be no disposition wrought in your 
heart, to say unto the blessed Jesus, and to say it with 
sincerity and feeling, 

" Other refuge have I none, 
Hangs my helpless soul on thee," 

you will die in your sins. You will proceed to your 
final account, at the judgment-seat of Christ, with 
nothing written in the book of God's remembrance, 
concerning you, better than words like these — the 

LAW DISOBEYED — THE REDEMPTION OF THE GOSPEL 
SLIGHTED — WRATH TREASURED UP. 

They who "have obtained mercy," are laid under 
the endearing obligations of thankfulness and love, to 
redeem the time in promoting the glory of God. Are 
you the poor in spirit whom the word pronounces 
blessed? Are you the believers in Jesus, who have 
fled to him for refuge, and whom he has promised 
never to cast out? Are you the transformed, by the 
renewing of your mind, who could delight in the pre- 
sence of the Eedeemer, and relish the purity and the 
praises of heaven? What hath the Lord done for 
your souls? You are bought with a price: you are 
delivered from the wrath to come; you are visited with 
a salvation into which the angels desire to look • you 
are even loaded with mercies: you have a crown of 



USE OF TIME. 



105 



life and immortality in prospect: therefore glorify 
God. Do you ask — In what ways shall we best 
glorify our redeeming God"? I will endeavour to return 
scriptural answers. 

You will glorify God, in the first place, by deep 
and daily humiliation. After Achan had stolen a 
goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels 
of silver and a wedge of gold, and was detected, 
Joshua thus exhorted him, "My son, give, I pray thee, 
glory to the Lord, God of Israel, and make confession 
unto him." And does penitence of soul become those 
only, who, in ignorance and rebellion of heart, are 
venturing upon gross abominations'? Christian believers! 
it is equally suitable — I had nearly said, it is more 
suitable — for you. Through the law in your members, 
which has warred against the law of your mind, often 
have you been unmindful of your God — ungrateful — ■ 
prone to start aside, and to cleave unto the dust. Was 
there not, then, in your case, a more horrible baseness, 
a more frightful accumulation of evil, than can be 
charged upon those who know not God*? You were 
unmindful of the honour of a reconciled Father ; you 
were ungrateful for Covenant mercies ; you were starting 
aside from an everlasting Friend, Where, then, should 
you be, on reviewing these disgraceful operations of 
the sin that dwelleth in you? In the very front of 
those who are crowding to the mercy-seat to confess 
with a contrite spirit — "0 our God, we are ashamed, 
and blush to lift up our face unto thee, our God." 
"The first attainment in religion," said the holy Arch- 
bishop Leighton, "is, to rejoice in God: but if that 
cannot be had, the next is, to sink down in shame 
before him." 

You will glorify God, in the second place, by a 
temper or habit of the soul suited to his excellent 

o 



106 



THE VALUE AND 



glory. Can you see and feel his kind and righteous 
providence % Can you reyerence his greatness, and 
admire his holiness"? Can you approve his justice, and 
rejoice in his covenant mercy % Can you delight in 
viewing the completed brightness of his character, in 
the person and salvation of Jesus Christ? Can you 
cling to his faithfulness, in the midst of darkness and 
temptation; and expect, while walking uprightly before 
him, "that not one thing will fail, of all the good 
things which the Lord your God hath spoken con- 
cerning you V In proportion as you can exercise these 
holy affections, you render unto the Lord a high tribute 
of glory. He beholds and accepts the silent sacrifice 
of your soul's adoration ; and you may read your sure 
interest in those words of his mercy — "Them that 
honour me, I will honour." Yes, in that day when 
he maketh up his jewels, you will shine to the praise 
of the glory of his grace. 

You will also glorify God by an active attention to 
his holy commands. The statutes of the Lord are 
right ; his service is perfect freedom. The yoke of 
his precepts is your honour: and that you may esteem 
and cleave to his statutes, his service, and his yoke, 
he thus speaks to your hearts — " I beseech you by 
the mercies of God." With the love of Jesus 
then as the principle, and with his revealed will as the 
rule of your conduct, go forth, and let your conversation 
be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. By upright- 
ness and truth; by moderation and humbleness of mind; 
by forgiveness of injuries and love of the brethren; by 
a cordial and manifested regard to the present and 
eternal comfort of your fellow-sinners; in a word, by 
patient continuance in well-doing, walk worthy of God 
who hath called you to his kingdom and glory: ever 
remembering the words of Jesus, "Herein is my 



USE OF TIME. 



107 



Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit: so shall ye 
be my disciples." 

You will glorify your Maker, in the fourth place, by 
an adoring submission to his painful providences. 
Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. He will prove 
the faith which he has given. "Like a refiner's fire" 
he will separate the graces of his Spirit, more and more, 
from the defiling dross of remaining depravity. Sooner 
or later, he will say to every son whom he receiveth, 
"I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." 
Christian believer ! thou must pass under the rod. 
Thy health may decline; thy substance may be taken 
from thee; thy pains and poverty may be great; thy 
friends may die; thy worldly prospects on every 
side may be darkened to the uttermost; thy last hope 
of comfort from the earth may seem ruined for ever. Be 
it so. Nature will shrink, but grace can triumph; 
and the power of Christ can lead thee to feel and to 
say — "My God reigneth. What he is doing I know 
not now, but I shall know hereafter. The dispensa- 
tions may be dark, but mercy and truth direct them. 
The streams are gone, but the fountain remains. My 
Saviour liveth, and his presence can supply the loss of 
all things. He liveth, and let his name be hallowed 
and his will be done. He liveth, and great will be 
his glory when this is the song of all the millions of 
the redeemed, ' He hath done all things well.' " This 
unfeigned resignation to the appointments of God, is 
the very mind that was in Christ Jesus. When 
agonized with sorrow, and with increasing sorrows in 
prospect, his submission was complete ; " Not my will, 
but thine be done." In the degree that you exercise 
and manifest the like submission of soul under distres- 
sing providences, you glorify the Lord in the fires. 
You declare that bis wisdom cannot mistake ; that he 



108 



THE VALUE AND 



is righteous in all his ways: that his mercy, though 
veiled under a dark dispensation, endureth for ever. 

Lastly, you will glorify God by an open and faith- 
ful profession of the gospel. It is the " gospel of 
Christ." It reveals his love, his work, and his grace. 
It is the " gospel of your salvation." It has been " the 
power of God," in turning you from darkness unto light, 
from sin to the Saviour, from misery to peace. It is 
the "glorious gospel of the blessed God." It exhibits 
him unto men, and to the principalities and powers in 
heavenly places, as altogether lovely. But this gospel, 
though dear to your understandings and your hearts, 
is too humbling and too holy to be relished by the 
proud and carnal mind. It has too much of God in it 
to be admired and loved by the unrenewed soul. On 
the contrary, the offence of the cross has not ceased. 
Jesus is still despised and rejected of men: and the 
disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above 
his lord. The hatred of the world against the people 
of God, is deep, incurable, perpetual. It is the enmity 
of him who is born after the flesh, against him who 
is born after the spirit. It is the battle of Satan 
against the Son of God. "Yea, and all that will 
live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution." 

Christian believers ! you see your calling. You have 
chosen the good part; you have counted the cost; and 
this surely is the language of your souls — "Though 
we shall go to the kingdom through enemies and 
storms; though we may be hated of all men for the 
Son of man's sake — yet none of these things shall move 
us. Through the grace of our God we will hold 
forth the word of life. We will confess our Kedeemer 
before a gainsaying world. We will glory in his 
cross as all our salvation. We will mingle with his 
despised people, as the excellent of the earth. We 

\ 



USE OF TIME. 



109 



will set our faces like a flint in the midst of opposi- 
tion; for our God,, whom we serve continually, is able 
to deliver us. We will tell to our fellow-sinners what 
a Saviour we have found; what a redemption he has 
accomplished; what tender mercy he offers; what 
abundant grace he bestows ; what bright prospects 
beyond the grave he has opened to all believers. We 
will pray, and we will endeavour, to the extent of our 
means, that the word of reconciliation may be published 
to all people, nations, and languages; that they who 
dwell in the wilderness, may sing hosannas unto Jesus; 
that all the ends of the world may see the salvation of 
our God." 

Blessed are those servants, whom their Lord, when 
he cometh, shall find so doing. They are glorifying 
the God of their salvation; and they are heirs of all 
the comfort and honour which are secured by that 
most merciful promise, "Whosoever shall confess me 
before men, him shall the Son of man also confess 
before the angels of God." 



110 



SERMON VI 

ON PRAYER.* 



Matt. vii. 11. — If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts 
unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in 
heaven give good things to them that ask him. 

I read the Saviour's declaration to his disciples — 
" Without me ye can do nothing." I find, not only 
from the strong evidence of inward experience, but 
from all the circumstances attendant on my ministry, 
that the declaration is at all times true. 

A sower may go forth to sow his seed. He may sow 
it with anxiety and diligence ; he may water it with 
many tears ; he may look with eager hope for a 
harvest of peace unto his people. But if he, who is 
as the dew unto Israel, should not give the increase, 
the labour will be in vain. What was expected to 
become a fruitful field, will remain as the heath in the 
desert; proclaiming, by its barrenness, the inefficacy 
of mere human exertion, and the necessity of the in- 
fluences of the blessed God who worketh all in all 
The understanding is too darkened to perceive, the 
heart is too stony to feel, the taste is too corrupted to 
enjoy, the things of the Spirit of God, unless He who 



* Preached at St Anne's, and published in the Pastoral Visitor. 

\ 



ON PRAYER. 



Ill 



created the world, should say with authority and mercy 
— "Let there be light, and feeling, and spirituality, in 
the soul." 

Under these circumstances, and with these views and 
convictions, it is my duty and habit, whatever be the 
subject on which I address you, to exhort you to pray. 
And perhaps in exact proportion as you are brought 
upon your knees to ask earnestly and faithfully, bless- 
ing from God, the word preached will profit you. You 
will be quickened by the declarations of your danger ; 
you will be humbled by the representations of your 
depravity ; you will be encouraged by the Lord's com- 
passions, to approach him ; you will be relieved from 
fear, by the Saviour's atonement, intercession, and 
grace ; you will be animated, by the views of what he 
has done for your souls, to live to the glory of God. 
They who pray in spirit and in truth, will put on the 
garment of everlasting praise. They who neglect to 
ask, will soon be sent, stripped of every thing but sin, 
into the presence of the living God. 

To the great and momentous subject of prayer I 
now direct and request your attention. And may the 
Spirit of grace and of supplications be poured upon us 
from on high, that we may wrestle for all covenant 
blessings, and rejoice as the true Israel of God! 

I shall consider five points: — the object, nature, 
privilege, difficulties, and success, of prayer. 

I consider — 

I. The Object of prayer. This object is the one, 
living, and true God. But God has revealed himself 
as a Trinity. The form of baptism, among a multitude 
of other scriptural proofs, is decisive. In a prayer of 
Augustine, that holy man thus devoutly speaks unto the 
Lord: fe O Lord our God, we believe in thee, the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; for the Truth 



112 



ON PRAYER. 



would not have said, Go, baptize all nations in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost, if thou wert not' a Trinity ; nor wouldst thou 
order us to be baptized in the name of him who is 
not God." 

On such a subject, our apprehensions, through re- 
maining unbelief, will often be confused, and, through 
weakness, always infinitely defective. But if we yield 
ourselves, under the Spirit's influence, and in the sim- 
plicity of faith, to the teaching of God's own word, 
without proudly or curiously inquiring — "How can 
these things be?" the Lord will "keep us in perfect 
peace " Secret things and incomprehensible mysteries 
belong unto the Lord our God. With him we shall 
submissively leave them; and proceed to the kingdom, 
rejoicing in the experienced fulfilment of the promise, 
"The meek he will guide in judgment, and the meek 
he will teach his way." 

Whether, in our prayers and praises, we address the 
Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, we address the 
one God : for a oneness of nature or being, and an 
inseparable union of will and operation, render it im- 
possible to honour and worship one person in the 
adorable Trinity, without honouring and worshipping 
the others also. An observation of our church, in the 
Homily upon the resurrection, is most excellent : " How 
dare we be so bold to renounce the presence of the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost? For where 
one is, there is God; all whole in Majesty, together 
with all his power, wisdom, and goodness." 

But the scriptures lead us to a further and more 
distinct view of the object of our worship. In the 
temple at Jerusalem, the Lord discovered his presence 
by the Shechina or visible glory. The manifestation 
had a tendency to impress the minds of the people 



ON PRAYER. 



with a sense of his nearness and grace. But these were 
shadows of good things to come ; the true temple is 
Jesus Christ. "In him dwelleth all the ful- 
ness of the godhead bodily." He speaks of him- 
self as the residence of Jehovah. "Destroy this temple, 
arid in three days I will raise it up." And he said 
to Philip — "He that hath seen me, hath seen the 
Father. Belie vest thou not that I am in the Father, 
and the Father in me? The Father that dwelleth 
in me, He doeth the works." 

A great divine and faithful expositor thus speaks 
upon the subject — "Humility and reverence become 
us in all our worship: and we must always look unto 
Jesus Christ, the true temple, in which God dwelleth 
as reconciled to the believing sinner." Again he says, 
"And let it never be lost sight of, that a sinner cannot 
worship the only living and true God, with com- 
fort and acceptance, except as in Christ, the God of 
salvation."* And Archbishop Leighton, with his accus- 
tomed clearness and force, thus speaks — "God dwelling 
in the man Christ, will be found or known nowhere 
else: and they that consider and worship God out of 
Christ, do not know or worship the true God, but a 
false notion and fancy of their own. The Shechina, the 
habitation of the Majesty, is Jesus Christ. There he 
dwells as between the cherubim, over the mercy-seat." 
The object, then, whom we are to address in prayer, 
is the glorious God, whom the heaven and the heaven 
of heavens cannot contain, but who is graciously mani- 
fested in Christ : the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 
dwelling in the holy human nature; and, for the sake 
of the obedience unto death of Jesus, the incarnate 
Word, the Divine Mediator between the Godhead and 



* See Scott's notes and observations on the Bible. 



114 



ON PRAYER. 



sinners, receiving and answering the supplications of all 
who will call upon him faithfully. 

This view of the Lord speaks encouragement to 
every returning and trembling transgressor. Your God 
is revealed, not as he descended on Mount Sinai, in 
the midst of thunders and lightnings and in fire, ao 
that the mountain trembled, and Moses said — " I 
exceedingly fear and quake;" but he is revealed in the 
person of his Son, clothed in a body like your own, 
and has called himself Immanuel. You may now 
look to him without dread. You may now approach 
him, if you plead redeeming blood, in Ml assurance of 
hope. This realizing apprehension of the God of mercy, 
in and through Christ Jesus, when obtained from the 
Spirit, and habitually exercised, brings along with it, I 
had nearly said, all the fulness of the salvation of God. 
It humbles, encourages, animates, sanctifies. It is the 
appointed means of changing the people of Christ into 
their Lord's image, from glory to glory. It gives, in 
proportion to its clearness and frequency, a meetness 
for heaven and a foretaste of the holy joy. 

II. The nature of prayer. The prayer which accom- 
panies salvation may be thus defined. It is the desire 
of the heart for spiritual mercies, offered up unto God 
in and through Jesus Christ. It is "the desire of the 
heart." It does not consist in words only. It is a 
disposition given by the Spirit of God, and it is excited 
by a feeling of want, or a fear of danger. It is the 
soul's inclination towards the things which belong unto 
the soul's peace. This inclination does not remain 
sluggish and inactive; it is spread before the Lord; 
and a supply of grace and mercy is asked, for the sake 
of Jesus the Mediator and Advocate. He who prays 
is as a beggar who is perishing of hunger and who is 
imploring bread. He is as a poor leper, diseased, 



ON PRAYER. 



115 



loathsome, "and ready to perish/' but who has heard 
of a never-failing remedy, and is anxiously seeking 
that he may be restored to health and comfort. He is 
as a criminal, who has received a sentence of death, and 
who is beseeching the judge to have mercy on him, In 
a word, the veil is removed from his mind; the heart 
of stone is taken away; and he beholds and feels that 
in himself he is ' ( wretched, and miserable, and poor, 
and blind, and naked ;" — accountable to God for all the 
deeds done in the body ; standing on the brink of the 
eternal world; and, perhaps, within a few steps either 
of heaven or hell. Hence, he cannot sleep as do others. 
His soul is interested, for his soul is in peril : and he 
earnestly breathes forth the supplication of David — 
"Shew me thy mercy, Lord, and grant me thy 
salvation." 

This view of prayer will probably have divided you, 
in your own minds, into two classes. To each class I 
would briefly speak. 

I would speak, in the first place, to those who are 
really athirst for spiritual blessings. Your thirst places 
you among the number of those whom the Saviour 
most especially invites to approach him.* It gives you 
immediately a sure interest in the rich promises of 
'God.j- He communicated the holy desire, and he will 
not disappoint it. He planted within you the sacred 
affection : and, under his continued culture and blessing, 
and through the diligent use of means, it will bring 
forth fruit unto life eternal. " And if he seeks," saith 
Augustine, "let him not doubt but that the desire of 
seeking has been received from him whom he seeks." 
Take, then, your spiritual desire to a throne of grace. 
Take it boldly; for it is nothing less than the voice of 
God within you, echoing that command of his word, 

*John vii. 37. f Revel, xxi. 6. 



116 



ON PRAYER. 



"Call upon me." It is a pledge that you will be 
heard. It lays you under the obligation to mingle 
your prayers with thankful hallelujahs. 

I would speak to those who are unacquainted with 
spiritual desires, and who are therefore strangers to the 
real prayer of the heart. Though you cannot give 
yourselves the holy inclination towards the knowledge, 
salvation, and enjoyment of Christ, yet, like Bartimeus, 
you can place yourselves where he passes by. You 
can be found by the side of Bethesda, waiting for the 
moving of the water by the angel of the Lord. " There- 
fore thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Consider your ways." 
Think of the misery of being without the new heart, 
without Christ, and without the spirit of grace and of 
supplications that the Lord would draw nigh and bless 
you. To be living without the new heart, is to be 
living under the dreadful incapacity of seeing the king- 
dom of God. To be living without Christ, is to be 
living under the curse of the law, and to be treasuring 
up wrath for the last days. To be living without the 
spirit of grace and of supplication, is to be provoking 
the jealous, God to take you, without a warning, into 
the valley of the shadow of death, and there to leave 
you: — there to leave you, to struggle with your last 
enemy, without light, without support, without hope: 
there to leave you, terrified with the expectation that 
your endless destruction was at hand, and tortured with 
the certainty that you had been your own destroyers : 
there to leave you, under the overwhelming reflection, 
that, for the sake of follies which never satisfied, or, 
for the indulgence of sin which always stung like an 
adder, you had insulted your God, and rushed upon 
the horrors of everlasting despair. Think seriously, 
and closely, and often, upon those awful truths and 
consequences : and surely, as the wretched captives of 



ON PRAYER. 



117 



Satan,, you will at length struggle for deliverance; as 
the children of wrath, you will flee from the approach- 
ing vengeance; as privileged to have the offer of the 
great salvation of Jesus, who will wrestle for the 
wondrous blessing. 

If the Lord should graciously say unto me — " Ask 
what I shall give the people of thy charge, while they 
are journeying to eternity," I believe my answer would 
be the following. I ask not for them the riches, the 
honours, or the comforts of this ensnaring and perish- 
ing world; I ask not a freedom from sickness, and 
trials, and the furnace of affliction ; I ask not an ex- 
emption from hatred, and reproach, and persecution, for 
the sake of Christ; but I ask that the grace and 
spirit of prayer may rest abidingly upon them. If 
this request should be granted, what a congregation 
would you be! All would be pardoned and renewed: 
all would be the children of God, and the temples of 
the Holy Ghost: all would be proceeding, under the 
guidance, and grace, and blessing of ■ Jesus, towards 
the throne of God and of the Lamb. 

III. The privilege of prayer. The privilege is need- 
ful, gracious, and honourable. 

Prayer is a needful privilege. We are in a fallen 
state. Every faculty is in disorder. The understand- 
ing, the will, the memory, the affections, have cast off 
God. Man has become the willing servant of sin. 
Corruption reigns, yea triumphs in the soul. His 
iniquity has awakened the Lord's vengeance against 
him: and, to complete the character of his misery, he 
is e< without strength." He can neither avoid the 
wrath he has deserved, nor delay its execution, nor 
give himself repentance for the sinful past, nor exercise 
one right disposition towards Him who is coming to 
determine his everlasting state. But in the exalted 



118 



ON PRAYER. 



Jesus, "all fulness" dwells. In him are hid all the 
treasures of mercy and wisdom, and strength and 
blessedness. From him, and from him alone, as the 
head of his spiritual church, every member of the same 
receives " grace for grace ; " receives everything which 
is holy in its tendency, from the first beam of heavenly 
light which is sent into the darkened mind, through 
every gradation of pardon, and peace, and purity, and 
victory, and joy, even to the song of thankfulness and 
triumph before the eternal throne. Between this com- 
plete Redeemer and a sinner, prayer is the appointed 
channel of communication. "If ye shall ask anything 
in my name, I will do it." See, then, the necessity 
of prayer ; and learn the situation of those rebellious 
beings who are not calling upon God. They are 
lying under the ruins of the fall. They are the chil- 
dren of disobedience, in whom Satan is working. They 
are tied and bound with the chain of their sins: and, 
thus influenced, enslaved, and wretched, they are pro- 
ceeding under the anger of God unto the judgment of 
the great day. 

Prayer is a merciful privilege. Suppose that the 
Lord had spoken thus concerning us: "These have 
altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds. 
Through breaking the law they have dishonoured God ; 
and the reward of their hands shall be given them. 
They shall have judgment without mercy. Though 
they make many prayers, I will not hear. Mine eye 
shall not pity, neither shall my hand spare : but I will 
make war against them for ever and ever." Under 
such an awful but just determination, the angels that 
sinned are suffering. In a like decree, all the sinners 
of the earth, in every generation, might have been in- 
cluded; and true and righteous would have been the 
judgments of God. Yes: our whole race might have 



OX PRAYER, 



119 



been the monuments set up by the wisdom and justice 
of the Lord "to shew his wrath, and to make his power 
known;" to give, by their terrible and endless punish- 
ment, this most solemn warning to all other worlds — 
Either avoid sin, or expect vengeance. Is not 
prayer, then, a privilege of mercy P Shall not our 
hearts be tilled with wonder, and our mouths with 
thanksgivings, while we hear our God proclaiming that 
he is upon a throne of grace: while we hear him 
commanding, "Call upon me:" while we hear him 
promising, "And I will deliver?" The Lord enable 
us all to see the mercy, and to use the privilege, to 
our souls salvation! 

Prayer is an honourable privilege. To have free 
communication with an earthly Sovereign ; to be permit- 
ted to approach him on all occasions ; to be treated by 
him with confidence and kindness ; to have the frequent 
assurance from his own lips, of being highly exalted 
in his kingdom — these are envied and coveted distinctions. 
But these distinctions are only vain and passing shadows, 
when compared with the honour which all the congre- 
gation, yea the poorest and the meanest amongst us, 
are invited to enjoy. If we be not prevented by 
wicked alienation of heart, by slothfulness, or unbelief, 
we can enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. 
We can speak unto the King of Kings, and Lord of 
Lords. We can behold him in Christ, a reconciled 
Father, a most gracious Eedeemer, an everlasting Friend. 
We can hear his voice in his promises ; " Ye shall be 
my sons and daughters;" ye shall "inherit all things." 
And can there be a single human being who will not 
covet the offered dignity? Can such a monster in 
baseness and misery be found, who shall choose the 
follies of the earth before an interview with the Grod 
of heaven; — who shall prefer the gratifications of sense 



120 



ON PRAYER. 



and sin before communion with the Lord of glory? 
Alas! there are many; and many, I fear, among our- 
selves. But how will such a wretched preference 
appear, and how will it be felt, when death is entering 
your chamber; or when the voice of the Archangel 
and the trump of God shall have placed you before 
the judgment-seat of Christ % Then will the word have 
its awful and complete fulfilment: "To be carnally 
minded is death." 

IV. The difficulties of prayer. The Lord God is 
gracious and faithful. He has revealed himself, as 
hearing prayer. He has given, most largely, free 
unqualified invitations and precious promises. He 
condescends to beseech sinners: "Be ye reconciled to 
God." He is in Christ's manhood as the mercy-seat: 
and he delighteth in mercy. It should seem then, that 
there could be no difficulty in speaking unto the Lord 
with a full assurance of faith; and in carrying away 
the blessings of redemption in triumph. But difficulties 
there are. I will mention and endeavour to remove 
them. I speak to you who feel something of the 
absolute necessity and the solemn weight of the great 
salvation of Jesus; and who are praying for it in all 
its parts and in all its power : for a holy and a devoted 
heart, as well as for deliverance from the wrath to 
come. 

You experience difficulty in prayer, from 
The recollection of your exceeding sinfulness. Moun- 
tains of iniquity seem to rise above mountains; and at 
times you dare scarcely speak unto the Lord, lest you 
should be consumed in a moment. 

You may fight against the despondency which arises 
from the recollection of your vileness, by a recollection 
of two indisputable truths. You may remember, that 
the Lord is God, and not man : that as the heavens 



ON PRAYER. 



121 



are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher 
than your ways ; and his thoughts than your thoughts ; 
that, in shewing mercy to a returning sinner, he will 
move far above and beyond the stretch of the strongest 
created mind; that he will astonish, even the principal- 
ities and powers in heavenly places, with the manifesta- 
tions and the effects of his compassion and grace 
towards all who sincerely seek him. You may remem- 
ber likewise, that though your transgression may indeed 
be of a deep dye, exceedingly aggravated and horrible, 
yet the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse from all sin. 
In the immensity of the mercy of the Lord your God, 
and in the all-sufficiency of the atonement which you 
are permitted to plead, you may find a remedy against 
all despairing recollection of the greatness of your guilt. 

You experience difficulty in prayer, in the second 
place, from the restless and defiling power of inward 
depravity. Once you were ignorant of the sin that 
dwelleth in you. The strong man armed was keeping 
his palace, and his goods were in peace. But a stronger 
than he has entered. A conflict has ensued ; and your 
rebellious nature carries on the warfare, with an unceasing 
hostility, against every operation of the Spirit of God. 
Corruptions, newly discovered, rise up to trouble you: 
besetting evils seem at times to have recovered a vast 
degree of their former power: a clearer perception of 
the horrid evil of all sin is gradually obtained. Hence 
there are seasons when you are ashamed, and tremble 
to enter into the presence of the holy Lord God. But 
do you find it thus written in the word of truth*? 
"When the law of sin which is in their members is 
raging with such a measure of its strength, then my 
grace is not sufficient for them: when their spiritual 
misery has attained to such a degree of anguish, then 
I will not hear, but I will shut up my loving-kindness 

Q 



122 



ON PRAYER. 



in everlasting displeasure." Oh ! no. The greater your 
internal wretchedness and sin, the greater is your need 
of the Spirit's help: and under every discouragement 
and fear, your way to the throne of grace is cleared of 
every difficulty by the command of the living God: — 
"Call upon me in the day of trouble." 

You are troubled by the imperfection of your prayers. 
The Lord God is a glorious Being. He is great, holy, 
just, merciful, and true: and you know that such a 
God ought to be worshipped with reverence and godly 
fear; with firm faith, and joyful hope, and adoring love, 
and fervent thankfulness. But your supplications are 
often weak, your affections sluggish, and your mind is 
wandering : and though you sincerely covet the mercies 
of redemption, yet you find it difficult to expect that 
petitions so feeble and confused will enter into the ears 
of the Lord of Hosts. This is a common difficulty, but 
it arises from unbelief. Who is in the presence of the 
Father*? Jesus, the eternal Son ; the merciful and faithful 
High-priest; the appointed Mediator; the prevailing 
Advocate. What is he doing Pleading for those 
who venture to plead his name. You have then 
to study the happy secret how you may lose the fear 
which arises from the insufficiency of your prayers, in 
the steady persuasion of the all-sufficiency of a Saviours 
merits and intercession. Though your supplication be 
unworthy, yet Jesus is worthy. Though your petition 
can claim nothing, yet the petition of Jesus, in your be- 
half, can claim everything. Here, then, rest your faith, 
your hope, and your soul : and according to the simplicity 
of your dependance on the heavenly Advocate, will be 
your strength, your victory, and your joy. 

You are troubled, in the fourth place, by a delay in 
receiving answers of peace. If you call upon the Lord 
faithfully, and in the name of Jesus, the event is sure. 



ON PRAYER. 



123 



But God is a sovereign. He will give you the power 
and the joy of his salvation,, in the degree and at the 
time he pleases. He is wise and gracious; and he 
will deal with you in such a way as will promote your 
greatest good. A delay will try your submission unto 
God, and prove your faith in the word which he has 
spoken. A delay will convince you, still more deeply, 
of your own weakness, vanity, and sin; and will in- 
crease your fear, for the time to come, of wandering 
from God. A delay will excite a higher sense of the 
value of grace, mercy, and peace, when the blessings 
are sealed upon your consciences; and will therefore 
give a louder tone to your songs of thanksgiving, and 
a deeper joy to your adoring souls. Bless the Lord 
then, for giving you a heart to call upon his name; 
and continue instant in prayer, though you may walk 
in darkness and have no light. Your persevering 
supplication will receive, sooner or later, beauty for 
ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of 
praise for the spirit of heaviness. 

V. The success of prayer. We may infer the abso- 
lute certainty of prayer, in the first place, from a 
well-known parable. Our Lord has said, (S Which of 
you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at 
midnight, and say unto him, "Friend, lend me three 
loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to 
me, and I have nothing to set before him?' And he 
from within shall answer and say, "Trouble me not: 
the door is now shut, and my children are with me 
in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.' I say unto thee, 
though he will not rise and give him, because he is 
his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise 
and give him as many as he needeth." This parable 
does not and cannot teach us that God can be wearied 
out or really affected with the persevering supplications 



124 



ON PRAYER. 



of his creatures. Oh! no. All his purposes of mercy 
and grace are sovereign,, free, and from everlasting. 
But the parable teaches, and this is surely sufficient 
for us to know, that the Lord always acts towards the 
praying person, as if the praying person could actually 
influence the eternal Mind. His continuance in asking, 
seeking, knocking, is graciously represented as having 
"power with God." 

I am doubtless speaking to those who have lately 
begun to pray. You cannot stifle, as you once did, 
the thoughts of sin and death, and a judgment to come. 
Solemn reflections, serious fears, spiritual desires, bring 
you upon your knees; and you cry earnestly unto God 
that he would grant you his mercy, and shew you his 
salvation. And yet, to your own apprehension, you 
cry almost in vain. The parable I have mentioned 
assures you that you cannot pray in vain. So surely 
as there is no deception in the representations of God; 
so surely as his word is not a shadow and a lie ; your 
perseverance in prayer is infallibly connected with the 
everlasting comfort and glory of your soul. 

The certainty of prayer may be also inferred from 
the gracious nature of God, as revealed by himself. 
"I am the Lord, which exercise loving-kindness, judg- 
ment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these 
things I delight, saith the Lord." To the Lord be- 
longeth mercy. He has a holy joy in bestowing his 
salvation. It is his highest honour to appear arrayed 
in the garment of love. The question then arises — 
Who are the favoured people who will receive the 
saving and abundant grace of God? They surely who 
feel their need of it; who have a disposition cordially 
to value it; who are hungering and thirsting for it; 
who are willing to seek it in the appointed ways of 
the Lord. These will certainly receive blessing from the 



\ 



ON PRAYER. 



125 



Lord, and righteousness from the God of their salvation. 

Ye who amongst us are the praying souls, take 
comfort and take courage. The Lord God is full of 
compassion: and that compassion will visit, and bless, 
and glorify you, if you are found humbly and diligently 
waiting at the footstool of God. The ascent from the 
throne of grace to a joyful station before the throne in 
glory, is easy, sanctified, and sure. 

The merciful conduct of Jesus Christ is a security 
for the certainty of prayer. He was God manifest in 
the flesh. He was Jehovah, dwelling, acting, and 
shining forth, in the holy human nature. He who 
saw him, saw the Father. Look, then, at the tempers, 
the character, and the conduct, of the Son of God. 
Many a sufferer fell down and worshipped him; many 
a sinner besought his mercy; many a helpless creature 
implored his help. And did he refuse to hear*? Did 
he reject the petitions'? Did he spurn from his feet 
the hungry, the miserable, the ruined % Not one 
instance of the kind is recorded. Such a triumph for 
the malignity of Satan was never afforded. . When 
any presented themselves before Jesus, in a temper 
of pride or cavil, he either sighed and left them to 
themselves, or he gave them an awful warning of their 
approaching destruction; but when the sorrowful spirit 
breathed forth an upright and an earnest supplication, 
" Jesus, Master, have mercy on me," the cry reached his 
ear — it reached his heart. It procured a ready answer 
of grace and peace : f ' Be it unto thee, even as thou wilt." 

My praying brethren, consider Jesus. He is your 
Lord and your God. When he sojourned on the earth, 
he cast out no prayer that was humble and sincere. 
He is still the same: and you will find him the same 
in your case, and to your soul's exceeding joy. 

In the fourth place, the absolute certainty of prayer 



126 



ON PRAYER. 



may be inferred from the past experience of the 
people of God. The Bible describes the character of the 
redeemed: they "call upon the name of the Lord." And 
the Bible proclaims the consequence: "This poor man 
cried, and the Lord heard him, and delivered him out 
of his distress." I am speaking probably to some who 
have lately learned to bow the knee and to bow the heart 
before God. You are often in darkness, discouraged 
and desponding. You are ready to abandon hope, and 
to give up prayer. I would offer you the following 
advice. Go and open your heart and mention your 
difficulties to some humble and experienced christian. 
Ask that christian how he commenced his course towards 
God, how he was led forward, how he has attained to 
joy and peace in believing. Something like this would 
be the answer : "I found myself in a situation of distress. 
I suspected that I was in a state of ruin. I discovered 
the blindness of my mind, the sinfulness of my life, 
and the vast evil of my heart. Refuge failed me, 
and I had neither help nor hope in myself; but in 
my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto 
my God. The struggle has been severe, and often 
has the enemy well nigh prevailed against me; but 
having obtained help from God, I continue unto this 
day. I raise mine Ebenezer, and thankfully inscribe 
upon it — Increasing light from the Lord. Deep- 
er HUMILIATION FOR SIN. STEADIER FAITH IN 
THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB OF GOD. CLEARER EXER- 
CISES of love to Jesus. A brighter and a 

STRONGER HOPE. MORE OF THE DISPOSITION WHICH 
PREPARES ME FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF HEAVENLY 

glory." Now if the experienced and advanced be- 
liever can give you this faithful and encouraging 
testimony to the power and prevalence of prayer, then 
go forward. Gird up the loins of your minds. Be 



ON PRAYER. 



127 



determined, in the strength of Christ, to be often upon 
your knees, and to be habitually in a praying spirit. 
Blessed are those servants, whom their Lord, when he 
cometh, shall find so doing. They will enter into his joy. 

The promises of God declare the certainty of prayer. 
But where are the promises'? With the Bible in our 
hands, we may rather ask — Where are they not % Let 
one, from among one thousand, be considered. ' ' Who- 
soever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be 
saved." Every word has a joyful meaning: and this 
sacred engagement of God stands eternally secure. 
" Whosoever shall call." He who calls, may be even 
loaded with transgression, and be a very leper as to 
his soul. Every thing horrid, defiling, disgusting, may 
be felt within him ; and the devil may have summoned 
all his legions, to rejoice at the supposed certainty of 
their prey. Yet if he does call, though he may call 
in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, the 
word "Whosoever" includes him. "Whosoever shall 
call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved." He 
shall be saved from wrath and sin, from the world and 
Satan. He shall be saved with a free, holy, complete, 
glorious, and everlasting salvation. 

Take, then, this promise with you to a throne of 
grace. Plead it before a faithful God; expect its 
fulfilment ; be certain of its fulfilment; live upon it day by 
day. It may afford food sufficient for a pilgrim, from 
the moment that he is escaping from the city of des- 
truction, until he reaches the land of everlasting life. 

Sixthly, and in the last place, the certainty of prayer 
may be deduced from the intercession of Jesus Christ. 
The gospel is indeed joyful tidings. It tells us of 
"an Advocate with the Father." It records his lan- 
guage of intercession, " Father, I will." It teaches us 
what he can plead in the behalf of returning sinners. 



128 



ON PRAYER. 



He can plead his divine, atoning blood, and his everlast- 
ing righteousness, wrought out for those who come unto 
God by him. He can plead his own honour and his 
Father s honour, in the fulfilment of that word which 
he has spoken : "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, 
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the 
Son." With these encouragements you may come boldly 
to the throne of grace, that you may obtain mercy, and 
find grace to help in time of need. 

These are the several reasons which lead to the conclu- 
sion that the success of real and persevering prayer is 
secure and certain. 

The application of the whole subject will be short. 
My dear friends, we have worshipped together during 
several years in this house of God. Many, who are 
removed from us, found it to be the gate of heaven. 
Here they were born : and they have gone through the 
dark valley, supported and rejoicing, to the world of 
light. But shall we all meet them before the throne 
of God and of the Lamb % They who pray in spirit and 
in truth will assuredly be there. They who restrain 
prayer before God, must mingle with a far different 
society — even with those who are blaspheming the God 
of heaven, because of their pains. The eternal separa- 
tions which will be made between the members of the 
same family, are the most affecting of all separations. 
And next to these, in terrible solemnity, will be the 
separations between those of the same congregation. 
Some, through the means of the word, will be exalted 
highly in glory; and others, through the abuse of the 
privilege, will be thrust down with shame and everlast- 
ing contempt. If I knew, therefore, that my ministry 
among you were to close for ever, after I had given 
you one exhortation more, that exhortation would be — 
"Pray without ceasing." 



\ 



129 



SERMON VII. 

THE INFLUENCES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.* 



Ezekiel xxxvi. 27. — And I will put my Spirit within you. 

The Holy Scriptures abound with representations 
and warnings concerning the power and devices of the 
devil, and his persevering endeavours to ruin souls. 
He walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. He 
subdued Adam in paradise: and if the Spirit of the 
Lord did not lift up a standard against him, all the 
children of Adam, now that they are in a fallen state, 
would soon and certainly become a prey to his teeth. 
His assaults are varied, according to the different cir- 
cumstances of the church and of the world. Infidelity, 
superstition, self-righteousness, the supposed sufficiency 
of reason to comprehend "the deep things of God," 
a denial of the Saviour's deity and atonement, a laxity 
of conduct under a profession of godliness, an unholy 
and forbidden combination of the love of the world 
with the hope of heaven — these are the evils which 
by turns he excites and cherishes, and by which he 
fights against the honour of God and the eternal peace 
of mankind. 

At the present time, when great is the company of 

* Preached at St Anne's, and published in the Pastoral Visitor. 
R 



130 



THE INFLUENCES OF 



the preachers of the everlasting gospel; when the 
banner of the cross is faithfully and boldly unfurled; 
when the Holy Ghost is glorifying Jesus, in the view 
of admiring thousands and tens of thousands; when 
the Kedeemer's promise is at least partially fulfilled, 
(C And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto 
me:" at a time like this, Satan may well be alarmed. 
The pillars of his kingdom are shaking, and he is seen 
to fall like lightning from heaven. But in his fall, he 
is artful and malignant still. He is leading his de- 
luded victims to vilify this dispensation of the Spirit, 
by confining the sacred operations upon the souls of 
men, to the times of the apostles. Foolish and fatal 
opinion ! Is human nature now, different from what it 
has been in all preceding ages ?• Is the mind less 
dark, the heart less hard, are the affections less carnal, 
or is the alienation from God less complete and des- 
perate? Are the difficulties from an evil world, and 
from the gates of hell, fewer in number, or weaker in 
their effects ? Or does man in these latter days possess 
a will and a power to give a transforming light to a 
blinded understanding; spirituality to an earthly heart; 
purity to an unholy soul ; the love of God to a mind 
which is enmity against him; a meetness for heaven, 
where the prince of the power of the air has been 
exercising a long and absolute dominion? If none of 
these things be true, the same influences from the Spirit 
of God which were necessary in former generations, to 
make a christian indeed, and to educate a child of glory, 
must be equally necessary now, and to the end of time. 

It will be my present endeavour to specify the great 
purposes for which the Holy Spirit is given; and to 
shew the effects which he produces on the minds and 
hearts of those who will be numbered with the saints 
of God in glory everlasting. 



\ 



THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



I. The Holy Spirit quickens the dead in sin. There 
are hosts of reasons why mankind, if the expressions 
may be allowed, should be all eye, and ear, and feeling, 
and eagerness, towards God and eternal things. The 
Lord is holy. He searches the heart. His law is 
spiritual: it condemns for one offence. The wiles of 
the great enemy are numerous; the world is full of 
dangers to the soul; the faithful and true witness has 
declared the way of life to be narrow. There is but 
a step between us and death. The exhortation is 
most reasonable and urgent — "Therefore be ye also 
ready." God has prepared his seat for judgment, and 
soon will the pit have shut her mouth upon despairing 
millions. 

Each of these considerations is a loud call upon man 
to prepare to meet his God. Surely then, the voice 
of the whole united, must sound as tremendously in the 
sinner's conscience as did the thunders of mount Sinai 
in the ears of trembling Israel. Surely every soul will 
be delivered from every worldly grasp, and be pressing 
forward, in anxious and persevering diligence, towards 
safety and peace. Alas! every soul, while left to its 
natural bias, is cleaving to the dust, is departing from 
the living God, is equally regardless of glory and of 
vengeance, is dead in trespasses and sins ; and whatever 
our ignorance, or pride, or self-love, or Satan, may 
have told us, this is the character, by nature, of all 
who are here assembled—" All have" thus " sinned, and 
come short of the glory of God." But "it is the Spirit 
that quickeneth." He gives to the insensible, spiritual 
feeling ; he fixes upon the heart an awful concern about 
the soul; a fear of falling into the hands of the living 
God ; a deep and affecting sense of ruin and redemption, 
of misery and mercy, of death and judgment, of heaven 
and hell. 



132 



THE INFLUENCES OF 



I must here then faithfully inquire — Is your experience 
described in those words of mercy : " And you hath he 
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins W Is 
there a real movement of your soul towards God in 
Christ % If there be, you possess spiritual life. Oh 
cherish it, in the use of means : for it is an unspeakable 
gift of God, and it is the first-fruits and the earnest 
of life eternal. Cherish it, that your spark of grace, 
if it be yet only a spark, may be kindled into a flame : 
that your grain of faith may become a mountain: that 
.you may say, with increasing evidence, thankfulness, and 
comfort — "Christ in us, the hope of glory." But if 
there be no inclination of your soul towards the things 
of the spirit of God, the death of sin is yet upon you. 
Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and 
Christ shall give thee light. Endeavour to learn and 
to feel the prayer of one of old, "Oh quicken me!" 
Whether you lie down, or rise up; whether goodness 
be compassing you about, or the Lord be vexing you 
with all his storms; let your supplication be still the 
same — "Oh quicken me!" 

II. The Holy Spirit enlightens the understanding. 
The word of God is clear and full, in all its doctrines, 
motives, encouragements, precepts. Everything neces- 
sary to salvation is there revealed: and the revelation 
is so humbling, holy, and glorious, as to prove its 
author to be God. But the mind, by nature, is in a 
state of blindness. The objects are presented before it, 
but it wants the power of perception. " There is none 
that understandeth." The light shineth in darkness, 
and the darkness comprehendeth it not. "The natural 
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for 
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know 
them, because they are spiritually discerned." The 
former part of this scripture teaches us our total ignorance 



THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



133 



by nature : the latter part proclaims the remedy which 
is provided of God. It is the Holy Spirit which removes 
the veil from the mind, and which enlightens it to 
perceive the truth, value, and excellence, of the salva- 
tion of God. Human abilities and human learning, 
though in other respects useful, are here of no avail. 
The unlearned man and the philosopher are exactly 
upon a level. Each of them, by nature, knows not 
the Lord; but both of them, if both alike are taught 
of God, have the same views of his glory, of the 
sinfulness of sin, of the love and redemption of Jesus, 
of the beauty of holiness, of the insufficiency of all earthly 
things to form the happiness of the soul, and of the 
all-sufficiency of the blessing and presence of a recon- 
ciled God. The meek he will guide in judgment, and 
the meek he will teach his way. 

I can mention a very strong and affecting instance of 
the mercy and power of the Holy Spirit, in removing, 
and removing rapidly, the most deplorable ignorance: 
an instance, one might think, which would silence 
every infidel cavil against the truth of the Scriptures, 
and every proud objection against the doctrines of 
grace.* 

I had recently taken the charge of a parish, when a 
gracious providence directed me towards the path where 
a poor woman, one of my people, was walking. Her 
steps were slow and feeble ; for she was deeply afflicted 
with a disease which was appointed to bring her to the 
dust of death. I soon discovered the blindness of her 
heart to be so extreme that she scarcely knew she 
possessed a soul. What a mournful, and, to an eye 
of sense, what a desperate case! An immortal being 



* The principal circumstances in this interesting case, are faithfully detailed, and 
well applied, in a Tract entitled — "Religion without learning: or the 
History of Susan Ward." 



134 



THE INFLUENCES OF 



without Christ, having no hope, and without God in 
the world, with gross darkness reigning in her mind, 
and with all her bodily powers failing, was brought to 
the very brink of the eternal world. But with God 
all things are possible. She was instructed ; but most 
particularly instructed to pray that the Lord would open 
her understanding, and set her sins before her, and 
shew her his salvation. The Bible was read to her, 
and she called upon God, and called in earnest, for 
the light and teaching of his Holy Spirit. The promise 
was fulfilled.* She beheld the iniquities of her heart 
and life, and became an abased and a self-condemned 
penitent. She had a spiritual perception of Jesus 
Christ, of the sufficiency of his love, atonement, and 
grace, to save her to the uttermost; and in faith and 
prayer she committed her soul unto him. She could 
discourse with a knowledge and a feeling concerning 
redemption, which were both affecting and astonishing. 
A delightful savour of godliness ran through all she 
said; a heavenly glow of peace and love beamed upon 
her countenance. Her eyes had seen the salvation of 
God, and she was anxious and eager that those around 
her should likewise behold the " great sight." In a 
word, she was "born again," and all the graces of the 
f ' new creature" appeared and triumphed in her experience. 
She lived a few weeks, and was then summoned to 
enter into the dark valley. But it was not dark to 
this dying saint. The closing scene was scriptural, 
instructive, grand, and animating. Angels were present, 
and the Lord of angels was present also. With the 
Comforter in her heart, and with the glories of heaven 
before her, her spirit rejoiced in God her Saviour; and, 
in the happy possession of a "full assurance," she fell 
asleep. Her soul ascended to mingle with the spirits 

* Luke xi. 13. 



\ 



THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



135 



of the just made perfect ; and her poor emaciated body 
was committed to the grave, in covenant security. It 
was sown in dishonour, to be raised in glory. 
It was sown a natural body, to be raised a 
spiritual body. 

Let the merciful God, in this striking manifestation 
of his grace, be abundantly magnified. Let the 
preciousness and power of the sacrifice of Jesus, in 
giving peace to her awakened conscience, be thankfully 
acknowledged. Let the Holy Ghost, who guided this 
ignorant wanderer to redemption and glory, be adored 
as the God of light and love. And let all, who feel 
their ignorance and weakness, be encouraged to pray 
for divine teaching, and divine teaching will certainly 
lead them into all necessary truth. However poor and 
unlearned they may now be, they will soon become 
wise unto salvation : whilst the learned of the earth, if 
they lean to their own understandings, will find at the 
last, that with all their wisdom they never knew God. 

III. The Holy Spirit gives repentance. He who is 
both wisdom and truth has described the heart, by 
nature, as "the stony heart." It is harder than the 
rock which was smitten by the rod of Moses. It re- 
fuses to feel, though a God of glory has been dis- 
honoured ; though a God of mercy has been disregarded ; 
though a bleeding Saviour has been despised; though 
the grace of the Lord has set open the gates of heaven ; 
though the justice of the Lord has appointed and pre- 
pared the punishment of hell. No means, however 
terrible — no considerations, however gracious — can truly 
reach and effectually soften it. No power less than 
that power which formed the heavens, and laid the 
foundations of the earth, can impress fallen man with 
an affecting apprehension of God, and with sorrow and 
remorse for having insulted his authority, holiness, and 



136 



THE INFLUENCES OF 



love. Hear the promise: "And I will take away the 
stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a 
heart of flesh." 

The vast importance of the subject calls to solemn 
self-examination. Can you, my people, read your 
character in the description of penitence, given by the 
Lord himself 4 ? "And there shall ye remember your 
ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been de- 
filed ; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight; 
for all your evils that ye have committed. 1 '* If this 
be your experience, He who is exalted to "give re- 
pentance," hath remembered you in mercy, and hath 
granted you the first-fruits of eternal life. Blessed 
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven. But if you know nothing of the broken and 
contrite heart, Oh send up instant prayer for the 
Spirit's light and power. Without that light and 
power, all within you will be hardness, and all before 
you must be ruin. Jesus has pronounced the sen- 
tence — "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." 

IY. The Holy Spirit enables the humbled sinner to 
come unto God, by Christ, for pardon and peace. 

" God is merciful," is the language of multitudes who 
are on the brink of ruin. It is, in their lips, the 
language of ignorance, unbelief, and presumption. It 
is the opiate which stupifies their consciences whilst 
they are living in folly, worldliness, and sin. That 
God is merciful, far beyond the reach of all expression 
and of all thought, is an eternal truth : but it is equally 
true, that the Lord is known by the judgment which 
he executeth. Though merciful, he spared not the 
angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell. Though 
merciful, he turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha 
into ashes, making them an example unto those that 

* Ezekielxx. 43. 



\ 



THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



137 



after should live ungodly. Though merciful, he has 
scattered Israel, his favoured and chosen people, and 
made them to be a proverb and a byword among all 
nations : and even their holy and beautiful house, where 
his glory was manifested, and of which he had said, 
"In this place will I give peace," is burnt up with 
fire. Though merciful, he has ordained that the earth, 
for the sin of man, shall be little more than one ex- 
tended scene of disappointment, mourning, and death. 
Though merciful, he has assured us that the wicked 
shall " go away into everlasting punishment :" yea, 
that all the people that forget God, shall be involved 
in the terrible ruin. 

When these and the like evidences of the divine 
purity and justice are recollected: when sin, which 
includes nothing less than ingratitude, rebellion, and 
enmity against the blessed God, is seen to be " exceed- 
ing sinful:" when the multitude of a person's own 
transgressions is in some measure apprehended; trans- 
gressions often repeated, and blackened by many an 
aggravating circumstance — then there is no more power 
in man really to believe that God is willing to shew 
mercy, than there is to raise the dead, or to create a 
world. Against the exercise of such a faith there 
are the loud clamours of an accusing conscience, the 
dreadful influences of a depraved, unbelieving heart, 
and the cruel suggestions of our strong enemy, the 
devil. 

It is probable that I am speaking to some who feel 
much interested in this momentous subject. You have 
a clear and painful view of your need of mercy; you 
see that you must either obtain the blessing, or make 
your "bed in hell." Gladly would you come to 
Christ, for redemption through his blood, and rejoice 
in God as your reconciled Father; but all within you 

s 



138 



THE INFLUENCES OF 



is fear,, tumult and weakness. You cannot put forth 
the hand of faith, no not to touch even the hem of the 
Eedeemer's garment. But what you cannot do for 
yourselves, the Spirit of the Lord can do for you. How 
is it written % <( By grace are ye saved, through faith : 
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." 
Behold, then, the way to peace. Cease from your- 
selves ; your strength is feebleness itself. Be instant 
in prayer. Lift up your voice and your heart for the 
Holy Spirit, as the spirit of faith. The blessing will 
be given. You will believe that Jesus is able to save 
unto the uttermost: willing to receive sinners, and to 
receive you: faithful to that word of grace and truth 
which he has spoken — " And him that cometh unto 
me, I will in no wise cast out." You will apply, and 
trust, and have peace with God, and give thanks with 
his inheritance. 

V. The Holy Spirit produces a solid and triumphant 
hope. There is a hope which will perish: a hope 
which, however strong and confident, will soon be 
stifled in the agonies of despair. Such is the hope of 
him who goeth on still in his wickedness, and yet pre- 
sumes to say, "I shall have peace, though I walk in 
the imagination of mine heart." Such is the hope of 
him who gives his thoughts and affections to the world, 
and yet expects safety and heaven. His expectation 
must be grounded on the terrible impossibility of 
proving that scripture to be a lie ; " He that loveth 
the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 
Such is the hope of him who has not submitted him- 
self unto the righteousness of God; but dares to look 
eternity in the face, while trusting in himself. Such 
is the hope of him, whose creed is right, but whose 
conduct is wrong; who has received the truth, but 
who holds that truth in unrighteousness. 



THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



139 



But though many a deceitful hope is indulged and 
is failing on every side, there is a hope which maketh 
not ashamed: a hope which is built upon the faithful- 
ness of God, and which proves an anchor of the soul, 
both sure and stedfast: a hope not to be shaken by 
painful providences, nor destroyed by the gates of hell. 
This true and abiding hope is the fruit of experience. 
It arises from a consciousness that through the grace 
of Christ we are formed to the temper and character 
of those to whom the promises of eternal life are given. 
Humiliation for sin, as committed against God: un- 
feigned reliance on the redemption of Jesus; love to 
the Saviour, obedience to his will, and a desire and 
zeal for his glory; a supreme valuation of spiritual 
enjoyment in the contemplation and in the manifested 
presence of God in Christ; these and the like scriptu- 
ral evidences of a renewal of the soul, prove an interest 
in that vast blessing of the Covenant: "And their sins 
and their iniquities will I remember no more." 

But I will confine my attention to one exercise of the 
mind and heart. 

It is written; "He that believeth on the Son of 
God, hath the witness in himself." Conceive a person 
to be taught of God, and brought to a clear and deep 
knowledge of his own character and state. His sins 
and wickedness are manifold. They have most griev- 
ously been committed, by thought, word, and deed, 
against the Divine Majesty. He has abused his several 
talents, and he is accountable to God for that abuse. 
He deserves the wrath to come, and the day of ven- 
geance is drawing nigh. These awful circumstances 
are seen by a light which prevents all reasoning and 
all doubt. He is alarmed and anxious for his soul. 
His conclusion, perhaps, is that of Job : " The arrows 
of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof 



140 



THE INFLUENCES OF 



drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set them* 
selves in array against me." His inquiry is that of 
the terrified jailor at Philippi: "What must I do to 
be saved*?" But the Lord,, who wounded him in 
mercy, proceeds in mercy to heal him. He hears or 
reads of a Saviour, able and gracious to deliver: of 
blood, which can cleanse him from all sin: of a com- 
passionate invitation — "Come unto me, all ye that 
labour and are heavy laden:" of a faithful promise 
"And I will give you rest." He applies, though per- 
haps in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 
to Jesus Christ. He is enabled, through the exceed- 
ing greatness of the power of the Most High, to trust 
in the Redeemer's word, and work, and love. He is 
strengthened to see and to know that his reliance on 
Christ crucified is simple and sincere: that in the dis- 
position and earnest application of his heart, he does 
come unto the Father, by the new and living way: 
that he rests his soul for mercy and for eternity on the 
"sure foundation." Now, in proportion as he is con- 
scious that this is really his experience, he is warranted 
to hope ; yea, to rejoice and to be triumphant in hope. 
His confidence is built upon nothing less than the truth, 
the covenant, and the oath of God. It is written — 
"Blessed are all they that put their trust in him;" 
and again it is written — "Wherein God," willing more 
abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the im- 
mutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath : that, 
by two immutable things, in which it was impossible 
for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, 
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the 
hope set before us." 

This strong consolation which arises from the con- 
sciousness and certainty of having fled for refuge, and 
therefore, of being interested in the salvation of God, 



THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



141 



is in every case the Spirit's work upon the soul. 
Hear the apostle's prayer for his beloved people at 
Home. "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy 
and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, 

THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY GlIOST." 

My brethren, you all most probably indulge a hope 
that you shall be happy in the eternal world. Is 
your hope of the right kind 4 ? Is it a plant which 
the hand of God has planted 6 ? Does it arise from 
the conviction that you are of the character to which 
the promises are made 6 ? Will it stand the shock of 
fiery trials ; of blasts from hell ; of the terrors of the 
valley of the shadow of death; of that awful summons, 
"Come to judgment: stand before the Son of man 6 ?" 
Perhaps it is true concerning the greatest part of those 
who die, with the exception of those who die in 
infancy, that their hope and their life expire together. 
May we all be strengthened with might by the Spirit 
in the inner man, that, with scriptural experience in 
our hearts, we may truly and feelingly take up the 
triumphant language of the apostle: "Blessed be the 
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, 
according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us 
again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible 
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." 

VI. The Holy Spirit directs the heart into the love 
of God. To love God is the first and great command- 
ment : but not one of our fallen race, by nature, pos- 
sesses the holy affection. Darkness covers the earth; 
a veil is upon every mind; the perfections of God are 
undiscovered; the heart is therefore unaffected — for it is 
impossible to love even infinite and ever-present excel- 
lence, if infinite and ever-present excellence be unseen. 
This is a state of peril and of ruin: for without the 



142 



THE INFLUENCES OF 



love of God there can be no principle of obedience to 
his will, no regard for his honour, no temper of mind 
to enjoy the worship of his kingdom, or to find happi- 
ness in seeing him "as he is." 

I may be speaking to some who see the necessity, 
and who long for the blessing, of having the love of 
God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost. 
I offer you two directions. 

Be frequently contemplating the works, the ways, 
and the word of God. The heavens declare his glory, 
and the firmament sheweth his handy-work. His care, 
kindness, and patience towards a world of rebels, tell 
us that the Lord is good: and the anguish under which 
the earth is groaning, proclaims that he is righteous, 
"hating iniquity:" and they who do not, in creation 
and providence, behold the perfections of God, and love 
and wonder and adore, "are without excuse." But 
that light of the knowledge of the glory of God, which 
humbles, comforts, transforms, and animates, must be 
principally seen in the face of Jesus Christ. He and 
the Father are one. He is the brightness of his 
glory, and the express image of his person: and his 
character and salvation perfectly represent God to man. 

Behold, then, the character of Jesus. View that 
character, in the tempers which he manifested; in the 
words which he spake; in the miracles of goodness 
and mercy which he performed; in the gracious invita- 
tions and promises which flowed from his lips; in the 
tears of compassion which he shed over his enemies; 
in the shame, and agony, and death, to which he 
submitted, for the redemption of a ruined world. Here 
surely is a character " full of grace ;" and that character 
is God's. The love of Jesus is the love of God in 
human nature. 

Behold also the salvation of Jesus. In the cross 



\ 



THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



143 



of Immanuel — in the redemption of sinners by divine 
blood — the holiness, justice, wisdom, and mercy of 
God appear, and appear in perfect harmony, and are all 
magnified. Mercy and truth are met together ; righteous- 
ness and peace have kissed each other. 

" Here the whole Deity is known : 
Nor can a creature guess 
Which of the glories brightest shone, 
The justice or the grace." 

Angels desire to look into this salvation ; and angels 
will join with the redeemed in admiring and celebrating 
it for ever. 

My second direction is this — Be praying daily and 
fervently for the Spirit's light and power, to strengthen 
and sanctify your meditations, and to take the veil from 
your minds. Whether you endeavour to set the Lord 
before you, as manifested in a wonderful creation, in 
a holy and gracious providence, or in the person and 
redemption of his beloved son, let your soul send up 
the supplication of Moses " I beseech thee, shew me 
thy glory." 

If the Lord should enable you to observe these two 
plain directions, the consequence is certain. You will 
know the Lord ; you will love God in Christ ; you 
will admire him, because his "name only is excel- 
lent;" you will thank and adore him, for what he has 
done for your souls; you will obey him, from a pure 
and powerful principle. You will be rejoiced when 
you hear that his gospel is spreading; that his name 
is more and more hallowed; that his cause and king- 
dom are extended; that the prophecy will soon be 
accomplished — "All nations shall call him blessed." 

Happy indeed are they, in whose hearts the love of 
God is thus shed abroad! They have the earnest of 



144 



THE INFLUENCES OF 



the Spirit. They have a foretaste of heaven. They 
have a sealed evidence, that after they have borne the 
burden and heat of the day, they shall dwell with God 
in glory everlasting. 

VII. The Holy Spirit gives victory to the people of 
God, in the hour of trial. I have already observed 
that the power of Satan is great. His malice is 
always active; he walketh about among the churches 
of God, seeking whom he may devour. The redeemed 
of the Lord are on their way to fQl those seats in 
glory, from which the devil and his legions were cast 
down. They are on their way, to sing eternal hallelu- 
jahs unto Him who took not on him the nature of fallen 
angels to redeem them, but took on him the seed of 
Abraham, that he might die for man, and restore him 
to the image of God. 

In Satan, then, there is everything to dread, which 
bitter envy, and perpetual cunning, and raging passion, 
and boiling enmity, and immense strength, can possibly 
accomplish. He has temptations for every faculty: 
for the understanding, the will, the affections, the me- 
mory, the conscience. He has temptations, suited to 
every situation, age, and rank ; to the rich and to the 
poor ; to company and to solitude ; to the old and to 
the young. 

Christian believers! in the midst of these perilous 
circumstances you are unskilful and weak; and the 
great adversary of souls has a most terrifying advantage 
over you, by acting upon the sin that dwelleth in you. 
How, then, shall the good work of salvation in your 
hearts proceed from grace to grace 1 ? Yea, how shall 
you stand your ground, even for one hour, against the 
subtle or the fierce assaults of the powers of hell 4 ? 
Cheering is that word of promise, " When the enemy 
shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall 



THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



145 



lift up a standard against him."* Here is safety; 
here is matter for confidence in the conflict and for 
rejoicing in the prospect of final victory. Prayer for 
the Holy Spirit makes Satan tremble. It renders 
both his wiles and his violence unavailing. It pro- 
vides a loud song of thanksgiving unto God. 

VIII. The Holy Spirit grants to the followers of 
Jesus, peace and sometimes triumph, when peace and 
triumph will be blessings indeed. The last enemy to 
be encountered is death. His approach is solemn; 
for it closes the sinner's accepted time. The consequence 
of his stroke is final; for he that is righteous will be 
righteous still, and he that is filthy will be filthy still. 
And if it were not for the ignorance and stupefaction 
which sin has brought upon the mind and conscience, 
it would indeed be wonderful if even one unpardoned 
transgressor could die in his senses : for he has nothing 
before him but the anger of God, and the sad and 
everlasting lamentation, ee l am destroyed, and I have 
destroyed myself." 

But the promise to the redeemed and renewed people 
of God is most seasonable and gracious. st Underneath 
is the everlasting arm." Thus supported, they cannot 
sink; thus succoured, I have heard them magnifying 
God, though just within the grasp of death. One 
who worshipped amongst us, has lately put off the 
earthly tabernacle, with this holy gladness.! Every 
grace of the Spirit was in exercise ; every evidence of 
approaching glory was manifested. In weakness he 
was strong; in pain he was more than peaceful. His 
consolations abounded, as his body was sinking. With 
joy triumphing in his soul, and beaming in his coun- 

* Isaiah lxi. 19. 

f Thomas Parker. He died, after a lingering illness, Feb. 21, 1817. 

T 



146 



THE INFLUENCES OF 



tenance, "Is this dying 4 ?" was the language of this 
departing saint of God. He fell asleep. 

To be thus carried above every fear, in that solemn 
moment when fearfulness overwhelms multitudes; to 
rejoice in this full assurance of hope, when many are 
enduring the agonies of despair; to have this abundant 
entrance into the everlasting kingdom, when all the 
impenitent are going down to the pit; is an experience, 
at once instructive, affecting, and glorious. It is of higher 
value to the favoured believer, than ten thousand worlds. 
It bears full and decisive testimony to the truth and 
excellence of the gospel of Christ. It may remind the 
ignorant and careless, that there is something in religion 
worthy to be sought. It encourages the people of 
God to press forward. It is a monument to the 
Redeemer's honour. It proclaims the merit of his 
cleansing blood, the power of his heavenly grace, the 
preciousness of the light of his countenance, and the 
blessedness of his great salvation. 

My christian brethren, hear the Apostle. "And we 
desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence, 
to the full assurance of hope unto the end: that ye be 
not slothful, but followers of them who through faith 
and patience inherit the promises." If you be reconciled 
to God by the death of his Son, and possess a meet- 
ness of disposition for the holy joys of his kingdom, 
you are prepared to meet your God. But there may 
be oil in your lamp, and yet the lamp want trimming; 
it may be burning, and yet not burning brightly. 
While the bridegroom tarries, your soul may be in a 
slumber: and the midnight cry, "Behold he cometh," 
might throw you into confusion. Therefore be ye 
ready. Pray without ceasing for the Holy Spirit. 
Even live at a throne of grace; imploring his sacred, 
sanctifying, sealing influences upon your minds and 



THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



147 



hearts. Then, when you are called to die, you may 
expect a fulfilment of the promise, " When thou passest 
through the waters, I will be with thee; and through 
the rivers, they shall not overflow thee." You may 
expect, through the consolations of God, to rejoice 
while your friends around you are mourning; to record 
it, in the dark valley, that the Lord is abundant in 
mercy and truth ; and to whisper, with your last feeble 
breath, " Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

I shall conclude the subject by bringing before three 
distinct characters, three solemn scriptures, which suit 
their respective cases. 

Have you solid evidence, that, in answer to prayer, 
you are taught, influenced, and renewed, by the Holy 
Ghost % It is written: "Grieve not the Holy Spirit 
of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemp- 
tion." He will be grieved, if you venture upon sin; if 
you give place to the devil ; if you yield to slothfulness 
in the means of grace; if you conform to this world. 

Are you anxious for your soul's salvation; yet are 
you lamenting your darkness, 3^our unbelief, your dis- 
tance from hope and from God? It is written; "If 
ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto 
your children, how much more shall your heavenly 
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ! " 
With this faithful and animating scripture before you, 
even mountains of difficulties may seem to be laid low. 
Ask in faith and with perseverance, and every blessing 
included in the vast promise will be yours. 

Are you living in careless neglect of the influences 
of the Holy Spirit? Through the deceits of the 
world, the flesh, and the devil, you may be doubting 
the necessity, or even denying the existence, of his 
sacred operations upon the souls of men. Take your 



148 THE INFLUENCES OF, &C. 

doubts and your denials with you to the judgment-seat 
of God. You will there see, by the light of that fire 
which is ordained for the perdition of ungodly men, 
the eternal truth of the sentence which is recorded: 
" If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none 
of his." 



149 



SERMON VIII. 



SALVATION BY GRACE.* 

Ephes. ii. 8. — For by grace are ye saved, through faith ; and thai 
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. 

The chapter before us presents to our contemplation 
the amazing depths of human depravity and wretched- 
ness, and the amazing heights of the love and mercy 
of God in Christ Jesus. The one, if the view be, 
sanctified, will lay our pride in the dust: the other, if 
the view be sanctified, will lay our unbelief in the dust. 
The one will excite a very wholesome fear: the other 
will lead on to a rejoicing in the Lord. The one will 
shew destruction to be merited: the other will assure 
us that the kingdom of heaven is opened to all believers. 

In the beginning of the chapter, we behold a bright 
and broad line of mercy, drawn upon a black and 
dismal ground. "And you hath he quickened, who 
were dead in trespasses and sins." They had been 
"dead:" insensible of their relations and obligations 
unto God; regardless of his will, and favour, and 
glory ; without hope in his salvation, or fear of his 
vengeance. "Wherein in time past ye walked." They 
did not, occasionally or by accident, turn aside from 

* Preached at St Anne's, and published in the Pastoral Visitor, 



150 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



the Lord their God, but they walked in evil. Every 
step was a step in the paths of rebellion, alienation, 
and ruin. "According to the course of this world: 
according to the prince of the power of the air, the 
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." 
They pressed on with the multitude in the paths of 
iniquity, moved and seduced by the instigation of the 
devil. "Among whom we all had our conversation 
in times past." The Apostle includes himself and the 
Ephesian converts; nay, this mournful description of 
human wretchedness, and misery, and peril, applies to 
every son and daughter of Adam. "Fulfilling the 
desires of the flesh, and of the mind: and were by 
nature the children of wrath, even as others. 
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love 
wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in 
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ — by grace 
ye are saved : # and hath raised us up together, and 
made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ 
Jesus : That in the ages to • come" — in future genera- 
tions, and in future worlds — "he might shew the ex- 
ceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us, 
through Jesus Christ." Then follow the words of the 
text. "For by grace are ye saved." He had said 
this in the fifth verse; but the subject was near his 
heart; it was the foundation of his confidence and re- 
joicing; it was closely connected with the honour of 
the God he loved, and with the edification and com- 
fort of the church which he had planted. He would 
therefore again contemplate and proclaim the glorious 
and cheering truth: — "For by grace are ye saved, 
through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the 
gift of God." 

There are four points which the text suggests for 
our consideration. 



\ 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



151 



I. The nature and extent of the blessing here men- 
tioned. "Ye are saved." 

II. The source or spring from which salvation flows. 
"By grace ye are saved." 

III. The divine principle through which salvation by 
grace is brought home to the soul. "By grace ye 
are saved,, through faith." 

IV. The power which produces this divine principle 
in the heart. " And that not of yourselves, it is the 
gift of God." 

I. I consider the nature and extent of the blessing 
here mentioned. "Ye are saved." 

The salvation of a soul includes deliverance, in the 
first place, from a state of carelessness. I picture to 
myself a number of criminals, condemned to a lingering 
and a shameful death. I see them in their chains ; and, 
withal, afflicted with the loathsome disease of leprosy. 
Their Sovereign, in purest compassion, sends to them 
a message of abounding kindness. He offers them a 
pardon, and exaltation in his kingdom, and a physician 
who can heal their sickness, and restore them to the 
vigour and the comfort of health. But they give no 
attention to the message, the pardon, the exaltation, or 
the physician. Surely we should suspect that there 
was another disease added to their leprosy — the disease 
of madness. But is there no infatuation really like this, 
and far more awful, in the world which we inhabit? 
Is not this the account of man, as a fallen creature : — 
" The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is 
faint?" Is not this his condition as a transgressor: 
" Guilty before God V Is not the place of punishment 
prepared, where the worm dieth not, and where the fire 
is not quenched? And is it not a faithful saying, that 
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners ? And 
is not this the proclamation of his free and boundless 



152 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



mercy — " Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends 
of the earth 4 ?" Surely every tongue will be crying 
"Hallelujah;" every condemned offender be imploring 
the offered pardon; every captive be applying to the 
Son, to be made free indeed; every polluted child of 
Adam be crowding to the heavenly Physician of souls, 
to receive spiritual healing; and every heart be eager 
to become a throne for a Saviour God. 

Alas! affections very different from these, dwell and 
rule in the souls of most. Laden with guilt and with 
pollution, and with nothing but an eternal ruin before 
them, they continue to trifle on their way; as if it 
were a matter of indifference, whether the God they 
had to meet were their friend or their enemy: as if it 
were a matter of indifference, whether they entered 
into an unchanging world, defiled with all manner of 
abomination, or made meet, by the Spirit's power, to 
see the kingdom of God. But when the grace of 
God, which bringeth salvation, enters the heart, this 
dangerous and wicked carelessness is put to flight. The 
deadly sleep of sin is over: the creature of stupidity 
feels, as well as utters, the cry of anxiety, "What 
must I do to be saved V — the immortal being seeks 
for glory, and honour, and immortality. My brethren, 
are you saved from spiritual stupour: from that 
wretched insensibility to eternal things, which is a 
perpetual insult unto the Lord, as if his redemption 
were not worth a struggle — and which is continuing 
the soul in a state of captivity to sin, and under all the 
threatenings and all the wrath of God 4 ? "Awake, thou 
that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall 
give thee light." 

The salvation of a soul includes deliverance, in the 
second place, from a state of hardness of heart. Ke- 
present to yourselves a large family — the children of a 



\ 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



153 



just, and kind, and tender father. They treat him 
with no regard; they disobey all his commands; they 
insult him in every possible way; they despise and 
dishonour him in the fall view of the world; and 
though his care over them, and his kindness and pa- 
tience towards them, are still continued, yet they harden 
their hearts ever more and more. We see and we 
feel the baseness of this impenitent family : and we 
are ready to say, in the very spirit of David, while 
hearing the parable of the ewe lamb, "The family 
which hath done this wickedness, shall surely die." 
But conscience, if awakened, enlightened, and faithful, 
will be discharging the office of a Nathan, and will 
be saying to each in the congregation, " Thou art the 
man, or the woman, or the child, who hast been an 
impenitent insult er and dishonourer of thy bountiful and 
gracious God." 

What a painful and depressive view of our fallen 
race, is here presented before us! A world in rebel- 
lion against the God of Love: and a world, without 
shame or sorrow for its ingratitude and vile abomina- 
tions. But the person who will be safe in the day 
of the Lord Jesus, is here saved from hardness of 
•heart. He has experienced a fulfilment of the promise, 
""And I will take away the stony heart out of your 
flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." He is 
the sinner that repenteth. He is one of the poor in 
spirit, whom the word pronounces blessed. My brethren, 
has that divine change passed upon your souls, 
which has cast down imaginations; which has brought 
low your thoughts and dispositions, even to a level with 
your character as sinners ; which has laid you at the 
footstool of God, owning and abhorring your iniquities, 
and confessing and feeling that you deserve to perish 

Salvation includes deliverance from a state of guilt, 

v 



154 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



By guilt is meant a liability to suffer the wrath of 
God. The Lord alone knows the full sinfulness of sin ; 
he alone knows what measure of punishment a breaker 
of his righteous Law deserves; he alone knows what 
degree and continuance of suffering will maintain the 
honour of his holy and universal government and pre- 
vent other worlds from following the example of man's 
rebellion. He knows the whole of this: and he has 
told us, in language which none can mistake; in 
language which nothing but the infidelity of the heart 
will attempt to explain away; in language which all 
who tremble at the left hand in the day of judgment, 
will find to be verified in their bitter experience: he 
has told us, that there will be not only a resurrection 
unto life, but a resurrection unto damnation, and that 
the wicked " shall go away into everlasting punishment." 
To be saved, includes a deliverence from these just, 
and certain, and terrible consequences of unpardoned 
sin. 

Behold the man then, who finds this needed and 
blessed deliverance. A conviction of his ruined and 
helpless condition has shut him up unto the faith. He 
beholds every path to peace, and hope, and heaven, for 
ever closed against him, except the path revealed by 
the Gospel. He sees the forgiving mercy of God 
freely offered to him, as a gift of pure, boundless, 
eternal love. He sees that mercy offered to him, only 
through the sacrifice of Jesus, who suffered for sins, 
the just for the unjust. He is told by God's word of 
faithfulness, that if he believeth on the Saviour, cometh 
to him, trusteth in him, resteth on him, as the sure 
and only foundation of a sinking soul, he shall never 
perish, but shall have everlasting life. The Lord of 
all power and might, having removed his blindness, and 
quelled his pride, and made him willing to submit to 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



155 



the righteousness of God, leads him to the Rock which 
is higher than himself. He applies unto the Redeem- 
er, with a humble but eager heart; from application 
he proceeds to dependence ; he feelingly and experimen- 
tally hangs his soul, and his every hope, upon "the 
redemption there is in Christ Jesus:" and the promise, 
and covenant, and oath, of the most High God, unite 
to assure him that his sins and his iniquities will be 
remembered no more. What a precious branch of 
salvation is now under our review! A brand is 
plucked from the burning; a child of wrath is become 
a child of God; an inheritance of ruin is exchanged 
for the prospect and the assurance of glory! 

Brethren, there is not one in the congregation, who 
is not either in a state of guilt, and on the brink of ven- 
geance ; or in a state of peace with God, and compass- 
ed about with all the security and all the blessedness 
of his redemption. Let each then, be proposing the 
solemn question to his own conscience — " Am I, through 
fleeing to Jesus, delivered from the wrath to come? 
Or do I still remain among the miserable many who 
have not obtained mercy?" 

In the fourth place, salvation implies deliverance 
from the love and habits of a world lying in wicked- 
ness. All the designs which the Lord Jesus had in 
view when he died upon the cross, must needs be 
accomplished. And we read of one most important 
design, in Gal. i. 4. "Who gave himself for our sins, * 
that he might deliver us from this present evil 
world, according to the will of God and our Father." 
It is necessary here to be plain, solemn, and decisive. 
A worldly spirit, if it be accompanied by outward decency 
of conduct is considered as a little evil, or as no evil 
at all. But is that a little evil, or no evil at all, 
which is always accompanied, or rather caused, by an 



156 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



alienation of the heart from the God of grace and 
glory? Is that a little evil, or no evil at all, of 
which the Lord speaks in severer language of abhor- 
rence than he speaks either of blasphemy or drunken- 
ness? He calls the friendship of the world enmity 
with himself: and he brands the person who will be 
the friend of the world, as the enemy of God. 
Let not the heart of infidelity here fret and murmur 
and rebel. "The counsel of the Lord, that must 
stand:" and we shall all be witnesses, that according 
to his own fearful description of the evil of a worldly 
spirit, he will proceed in the judgment of the great 
day. 

See then, the vast value and the absolute necessity 
of having this love of the world subdued; and of 
having, in its stead, the love of God in Christ shed 
abroad and cherished in the heart. Have we experi- 
enced the blessed power of this part of the Lord's 
salvation? Are we brought to view the world as a 
place of vanity and of disappointment, and of danger 
to the soul; and are we really, in heart and hope, 
looking up to a Saviour-God, and saying — "Whom 
have we in Heaven but thee, and there is none upon 
earth that we desire besides thee." If to this language 
our souls are unfeignedly saying "Amen," our spot is 
certainly the spot of God's redeemed and renewed 
children. But if, as the Apostle expresses it, we are 
minding earthly things — savouring and pursuing them 
as our main sources of enjoyment, he tells us in the 
same verse, that our "end is destruction." 

Salvation implies deliverance, in the fifth place, from 
the fear of death. We are apt to look at death as at 
a distance; and therefore to look at it without much 
emotion. But death has a vast solemnity, both in 
itself and in its consequences. It is God's abhorrence 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



157 



of sin, made visible and made to be felt. It is a 
dark valley, where conscious guilt and the powers of 
hell may assault the fainting soul. It is the entrance 
into a world of spirits; but what kind of spirits? It 
is the hour when the means of grace and the opportu- 
nities of salvation are closed for ever. It is the awful 
moment, when the accounts of our stewardship are to 
be sealed up, which will be opened for us or against us 
in the day of God. It is the commencement of an 
eternity, either of agony or rejoicing: of an endless 
life, either with Satan or with the Saviour. Who or 
what then, can deliver from terror in this alarming 
crisis? Hear the Apostle to the Hebrews, speaking 
of his beloved Redeemer. " That through death he 
might destroy him that had the power of death, that 
is, the devil; and deliver them who, through fear of 
death, were all their life-time subject to bondage." 
When the death of the Redeemer, as an all-sufficient 
sacrifice for sin, is really, humbly, and consciously 
rested on, as all the salvation and all the desire of the 
soul — the chamber in which the believer meets the 
stroke of death, is indeed a privileged place. And 
often — Oh how often — have I witnessed the precious- 
ness of the privilege ! The tyrant was there, but 
without his sting. The Lord was there, with his 
presence and his consolations. The near prospect of 
Heaven was there ; and the soul was springing forward 
to see Jesus "as he is," and to receive from the hand 
of his mercy and faithfulness, the crown of life. Well 
indeed did a dying believer exclaim — ce precious sal- 
vation." 

If such be the nature and extent of the blessing, ye 
are saved — Oh that not one amongst us may continue 
to make light of Gospel grace! For what would you 
neglect the great salvation ? For the world ? Pursue 



158 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



it in all its ways, and under all its disguises, and it 
will disappoint and grieve you. For sin? It will 
bite like a serpent, and sting like an adder. For 

THE INDULGENCE OF YIELDING TO THE TEMPTATIONS 

of the devil"? Sooner or later, notwithstanding his 
fair promises, he will send a very hell into your 
souls, even in this life: a bitter foretaste of the approach- 
ing bitter pains of eternal death. Behold the way, 
the only way, to peace and heaven. Be serious for 
your souls, and be in earnest in escaping from the wrath 
to come. Seek a deep and daily repentance for sin. 
Flee, for mercy and refuge, to the blessed and bleeding 
Lamb of God. Give him your hearts ; devote to him 
your lives. Through grace, follow this plan : and grace 
will soon exalt you where salvation is completed: where 
the Redeemer and the redeemed have met together : the 
redeemed to cast their crowns before the throne — and 
the Redeemer " to rest in his love ;" to throw a perpe- 
tual glory, even around the bodies of his ransomed ones ; 
and to pour into their souls an everlasting tide of 
holiness, glory, and rejoicing. 

II. I consider, secondly, the source or spring from 
whence salvation proceeds. "By grace ye are saved." 
The word "Grace" in the Bible, has two leading significa- 
tions or meanings. It means the free, unmerited, and 
bountiful love of God, which leads him to shew favour 
to sinners, because he will shew favour, and because it is 
his delight and his glory to bless ; and it means likewise 
the free and merciful work of his power upon the 
sinners soul, in renewing, and teaching, and humbling, 
and sanctifying, and strengthening, and comforting him, 
and in sealing him unto the day of redemption. In 
each of these senses, but especially in the latter, the 
word may be considered in the passage before us. 

1. It was the free grace of God which planned and 

\ 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



159 



determined a redemption for our fallen world. In his 
infinite and eternal mind 5 the past,, the present, and the 
future, are all one. He saw from everlasting, that man 
whom he would create upright, would abuse his free 
will and his mercies, and would become disobedient 
and rebellious. He saw that the whole race of Adam, 
from the fall to the end of time, would rise up, one 
generation after another, to follow in the same track 
of disobedience and rebellion. He saw that every act 
of disobedience, in each of the countless millions that 
should live, would expose each of the millions to his 
righteous vengeance. And he saw that the wicked 
alienation of the whole race from himself, would make 
them objects of his holy abhorrence. Yet his mercy 
rejoiced against judgment, and his love to the miserable 
triumphed over his hatred of their sin. Hence, in the 
abundant riches of his grace, and in the adorable 
counsels of his wisdom, he planned a salvation, by 
which all who truly receive it are changed: changed 
from hardened transgressors into abased penitents ; from 
enemies into friends; from children of wrath into 
children of God; from captives to the devil, into 
willing and happy servants of Immanuel; from the 
danger of being plunged into everlasting destruction, 
into the privilege and assurance of being numbered 
with the saints of God in glory everlasting. What a 
plan of salvation does this appear, when we consider 
the character and ruined condition of the objects which 
it was intended to relieve: and when we consider the 
variety and the eternity of the blessings which it was 
intended to bestow ! Surely if we had each a thousand 
minds, and were each to live a thousand years, and if 
every mind and hour were devoted to the contemplation 
of the wondrous grace — at the close of the thousand 
years we could say nothing more, than f{ Oh ! the 



160 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



depth!" It will require the light of eternity, and the 
enlarged powers of the soul in eternity, and the experi- 
ence of a glorified eternity, even to lisp the praises of 
the grace of God. 

2. It was the free grace of God the Son, which 
wrought out the amazing work of man's salvation. 
Hear the Apostle; "For ye know the grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for 
your sakes he became poor ; that ye, through his 
poverty, might be rich." The Redeemer was "rich" 
in all the glory, and authority, and blessedness, of the 
godhead ; yet he " became poor." He made himself 
of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a 
servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and 
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, 
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the 
cross. The Apostle tells us, that he was "seen of 
angels." These morning stars sang together when he 
called the world into being. They witnessed his 
agonies in the garden ; and they beheld on Mount 
Calvary that sight of wonder — the second man, the 
Lord from heaven, giving up the ghost. Can we 
imagine what would be their astonishment and their 
feelings at a sight like this 4 ? Can we imagine what is 
their astonishment, and what are their feelings, on 
viewing a world whose souls' salvation can hang only 
on the cross, yet hearing of that cross with stupid 
indifference'? Brethren, this thing ought not to be, 
and this thing will not be in that person who feels his 
condition as a sinner, and knows anything of Him 
who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." The 
thoughts and desires of this man, in his better mo- 
ments at least, will even crowd around " Christ cruci- 
fied :" and if the enemy had the power to drive him 
off, he would still cast a look towards Calvary, and 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



161 



would say, in the view of earth, and heaven, and hell, 
and the opening grave, "None but Christ." Are 
we thus minded 4 ? Is Jesus Christ precious to our 
souls 6 ? The answer, if faithful, will tell us the all- 
important truth, whether our present state be a state 
of peace or ruin. 

But the Apostle adds — "that ye, through his poverty, 
might be rich." The Saviour's designs, when he suf- 
fered and died, were principally two; — to manifest and 
magnify, in the view of the universe, the glorious and 
perfect character of the Godhead; and to convey to 
all penitent believers, pardon, and a robe of righteous- 
ness, and the fulness of the sanctifying Spirit, and a 
crown of life. What an undertaking! Every move- 
ment from the throne to the cross, and from the cross 
back again to the throne, that he might carry on and 
complete his designs, was a movement of grace — a 
movement of pure and marvellous mercy — of grace 
and mercy, which will be felt and sung by adoring 
millions in the ages of eternity. 

3. It is the free grace of God the Spirit, which ap- 
plies to the sinner's heart the Saviour's redemption. 
The grace of the Father, the Son, and the blessed 
Spirit, is one and the same grace; for their nature, 
their being, is one — one godhead, one God. But their 
offices are distinct. It is the office of the Holy 
Spirit to quicken the dead in sin ; to bring the careless 
to consider their ways; to bend the stout-hearted in 
humble confession of their vileness ; to lead the penitent 
sinner to the Rock which is higher than himself, 
where he may find support to his sinking soul; to shed 
abroad in the believer's heart the love of God in 
Christ; and to train up a peculiar people, to shew 
forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of 
darkness into his marvellous light. Surely, while the 

w 



162 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



blessed Spirit is carrying on this new creation in a 
sinner's soul, he is acting according to his own un- 
searchable and infinite grace. When he begins the 
work of mercy, there is nothing which he can per- 
ceive in the man, but darkness, worldliness, alienation, 
and enmity ; and as he proceeds to accomplish his vast 
design, Oh, how often is he opposed, grieved, insulted, 
by sloth, by unbelief, by unthankfulness — by the law 
in the members warring against the law in the mind — 
by "the body of this death." And yet he suffereth 
long and is kind: and he presses on in his work of 
holy compassion and unchanging faithfulness, until that 
scripture is fulfilled in the everlasting kingdom — "And 
he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof with shout- 
ings, crying — Grace, grace unto it." 

My brethren, if it be the grace of the Holy Spirit 
which can alone new-create the soul and fit it for the 
enjoyment of God for ever, surely the promise should 
fill our souls with adoration, and our eyes with tears 
of thankfulness — "How much more shall my heavenly 
Father give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him!" 
The blind may lament their blindness ; the unbelieving 
may lament their unbelief; the slaves of sin may 
lament their captivity to sin : yet if you who are blind 
and unbelieving, and captives, will pray in earnest for 
the Spirit of God — you will see, you will believe, you 
will be made free from the law of sin and death. On 
the other hand, if there should be only one person 
present, who is not feelingly praying for the Spirit of 
the Lord, as a Spirit of light, and faith, and holiness, 
and power, that person is at present without salvation. 

III. I proceed to consider the divine principle through 
which salvation by grace is brought home to the soul. 
"By grace ye are saved, through faith." Faith is 
the eye of the soul. God hath spoken and described 




SALVATION BY GRACE. 



163 



in his word eternal realities. Faith brings these eter- 
nal realities into the view of the inner man. They 
are seen as present and as substance. For instance. 
The word has said it — <s All the world is become guilty 
before God." Faith credits the awful sentence ; faith 
realizes the approaching vengeance; and the possessor 
of this faith flees from the wrath to come. Again : the 
Bible has published a faithful saying, that "Jesus 
Christ came into the world to save sinners." Faith 
discovers in the Scriptures the character and the work 
of this Redeemer: his character — God and man in one 
Christ, full of "grace and truth:" his work — to make 
reconciliation for iniquity, to suffer for sins, the just 
for the unjust, that whosoever believeth on him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life. There is 
thus set before the mind a Saviour, able, merciful, 
sufficient: and when the discovery is truly made, faith 
proceeds from crediting the word, to a trusting in the 
Rock of Salvation. The mind and the heart go 
together : for what the mind has seen to be true and 
lovely, the heart approves and chooses. The disposi- 
tion is formed, and is carried into action, to receive 
Christ as the unspeakable gift of God — to come unto 
the Father by him — to hang the soul's everlasting all 
on his obedience unto death. The person whose 
disposition is renewed to this unfeigned reliance on the 
redeeming Son of God, is passed from death unto life, 
is justified from all things, and will be saved unto the 
uttermost. He will be saved from guilt by the Sa- 
viour's atoning blood; from the dominion of iniquity, 
by the grace of his Spirit; from the reign of worldli- 
ness in the heart, through the discovery of a more 
lovely object than the world — the discovery of God in 
Christ; " saved in the Lord with an everlasting salva- 
tion." Brethren, have you the faith which is the 



164 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



evidence of things not seen, and which makes Christ 
the object of contemplation, of reliance, and of love*? 
The Lord and Judge of all men has told us — "He 
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he 
that believeth not shall be damned." 

IY. I now consider, according to my arrangement, 
the power which produces this divine principle in the 
heart. "And that not of yourselves, it is the gift 
of God." It is to me a delightful thought, that in 
the salvation wrought out for us, the Lord Jesus " trod 
the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none 
with him:" and it is a thought scarcely less delightful, 
than in the salvation to be wrought within us, he is 
the "Alpha and Omega," — the "Author and Finisher 
of faith" — the "all and in all." The power to believe 
the word, and to realize eternal things ; and the strength 
to come unto Christ, that we may have life; and the 
ability to live upon his fulness, that we may receive 
grace for grace, until the work of grace is completed 
in the kingdom of glory, are thus accounted for in the 
word of truth — " Not by might, nor by power, but by 
my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts." Nature may 
repine, for she wishes to be something: but grace will 
rejoice, that in the soul's salvation self must be nothing. 
Where is boasting then*? It is excluded; excluded 
from the believer's experience, and excluded for ever 
from the everlasting kingdom. There the Lord alone 
is exalted, and all the nations of the saved are exult- 
ing in his glory. 

If, then, faith be the gift of God, we again see 
the absolute necessity of daily and earnest prayer. Oh, 
let slothfulness be put away far from every one of us! 
Let each soul, hitherto careless, begin to cry out — 
"Bless me with precious faith." And let the soul that 
would come to the Saviour, be pouring out the prayer 



SALVATION BY GRACE. 



165 



that has already prevailed, " Lord, I believe — help thou 
mine unbelief." 

Ye who have Gospel-evidence that ye are saved by 
grace, are doubtless coming to the sacrament of the body 
and blood of Christ. And for what purposes? To 
receive a blessing, and to render praise. 

That you may receive a blessing, come with your 
unworthiness and your sins full in your view. A 
repenting sinner is the rejoicing of angels, and a high 
favourite with the Lord of angels. ft To this man will 
I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite 
spirit." Come, looking unto Jesus as having died for 
your offences, and risen again for your justification. 
The look, if spiritual and believing, will shew you a 
God reconciled, and all your sins cast into the depth 
of the sea. Viewing Christ as your Passover, you will 
keep the feast indeed: and hope, and peace, and the 
expectation of heaven, will make you triumph in the 
name of your Saviour-God. 

And that you may render praise — be setting your 
vast and manifold mercies before you. They are 
sparing, preserving, redeeming, distinguishing, renewing, 
persevering, eternal mercies. Set these before you, 
and yield to the Saviour's righteous command — "Give 
me thine heart." 

In Egypt, the passover was eaten with bitter herbs : 
and with something bitter, in experience or in provi- 
dence, you may have to feed your souls upon "the 
very Paschal Lamb" — upon Christ crucified. Be it so, 
and the will of the Lord be done. But come, remem- 
bering the Lord's death, and be strengthened and 
cheered to meet your own death. Come, remembering 
the Lord's resurrection, and be rejoicing in the lively 
hope of your own resurrection to eternal life. 



166 



SERMON IX. 

THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS.* 



Zechariah iv. 10. — For who hath despised the day of small things? 

It seems to have been one design of the Lord in 
raising up the prophet Zechariah, that he should ex- 
cite and encourage the Jews to rebuild the Temple at 
Jerusalem. The word of the Lord had come to Zerub- 
babel the Governor of Judah, and to Joshua the High 
Priest, and to the residue of the people, commanding 
them to enter upon the work. Zerubbabel had laid 
the foundation-stone in the presence of Joshua and the 
people, but various difficulties and impediments com- 
bined to threaten the completion of their plans. When 
nothing but the foundation-stone of the immense build- 
ing was laid, it was indeed a day of small things, and 
Zerubbabel himself might be almost ready to despair 
of finishing it. Some of the Jews, and many of their 
enemies, might undervalue these inconsiderable begin- 
nings, yea and despise them as destined to come to 
nothing; but all such the Lord appears to rebuke in 
the words which I have chosen as the basis of our 
present meditations. 

It has been generally supposed, and I think with 

* Preached at St. Anne's in 1818, and now printed for the first time. 



THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 



167 



great propriety, that Zerubbabel, in building the Tem- 
ple of Jerusalem, was a type of Christ, who builds a 
spiritual temple in the souls of his people. The apos- 
tle Paul says to the Corinthians — "Ye are the temple 
of the living God, as God hath said, e l will dwell in 
them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, 
and they shall be my people.' " And concerning the 
building of this spiritual and eternal temple, it may be 
said, and it should be said, in every generation — 
" Who hath despised the day of small things V 

With a view of applying the subject to the work 
and building of grace in the immortal soul, I intend 
to offer five general observations. 

I. I observe, in the first place, that though the 
Lord could accomplish his purposes in a single moment 
of time, he usually accomplishes them by degrees. 

In creating, forming, and replenishing the heavens 
and the earth, it was the good pleasure of his will to 
employ six days. In feeding the numberless creatures 
he has made, provision is supplied gradually; — the 
seed must be sown, the sun must shine, the rain must 
descend, men must labour; and through these means, 
the fruits of the earth are produced and enjoyed. So 
also, in beautiful analogy, with spiritual things. The 
Christian Church, immediately after the ascension of 
Jesus into Heaven, was composed of but a few disci- 
ples ; on the day of Pentecost three thousand were 
added. The. word ran and was glorified. The grain 
of mustard seed became a large tree. Many cities re- 
ceived the truth; many nations now receive it. Kings 
are to become its nursing fathers; and the time is 
perhaps drawing nigh, (blessed -be God for the exhila- 
rating signs!) when the Banner of the Cross shall be 
peacefully unfurled in the view of the whole world, 
and the whole world shall call our Jesus blessed. 



168 



THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 



As it is with the Christian Church in its collective 
capacity,, so it is precisely with individual christians. 
The transformation is gradual ; the change from darkness 
to light is progressive. At the commencement of their 
happy course towards the kingdom, they are only bahes 
in Christ; by degrees, not always rapid, they become 
young men ; afterwards, fathers in Israel. First comes 
up the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the 
ear. Be not discouraged therefore, ye who have just 
set out towards the land of light and gladness! Re- 
member, in your seasons of desponding self-examination, 
the Lord's established method of acting. The bright 
shining of the sun in its strength, was preceded by the 
faint red streak in the East. St Paul, now high in 
glory, began his course of unequalled christian fidelity 
and exertion with the inquiry — " Who art thou, Lord T 

I would give you two directions. I would urge you 
to be upright, and to be diligent. 

1. Be upright. The Lord requireth truth in the 
inward parts: nothing can compensate for this. An 
Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile, though at first 
he may only see men as trees walking, will be led on 
from light to light, and from grace to grace, and will 
finally see and enjoy fully the salvation of God: while 
he who has all gifts and all knowledge, if he lack 
sincerity in his religious profession, will fail in his hope, 
and come utterly to an end. I conjure you, then, to 
seek after sincerity; I conjure you to be upright. 
Halt not between two opinions. Halt not in yom judg- 
ment. Let it be a settled principle in your minds, 
that the enjoyment, present and eternal, of God in 
Christ, is the true happiness of immortal man. Halt 
not in your practice. Be not one day on the side of 
Christ, and the next day on the side of the world: 
one day saying, ff Lord, Lord," and the next day " cm- 



THE DAY O^F SMALL THINGS. 



169 



1 cify him, crucify him." Halt not in your determina- 
tion. Be not undecided whether, through the power 
of grace, you shall take up your cross, resist sin, even 
unto blood, and cleave unto the Lord with Ml pur- 
pose of heart. 

2. Be diligent. The Lord has revealed the means 
by which he will bless the souls that seek him, and 
the places where he will meet them. In those means 
be found ; in those places be always seen. Resort 
unto them continually : for during even an occasional 
absence, he may be passing by, and you may lose an 

i everlasting blessing. Resort unto them with great 
earnestness of desire ; for you are coming upon no 
trifling errand. You are coming for light, to guide 
you in the midst of darkness ; for mercy, through re- 
deeming blood, to cleanse you from all iniquity ; for 
grace, to sanctify, sustain, and comfort you; to give 
you the victory in your perilous warfare, and to crown 
you in the world to come. Resort unto them, plead- 
ing the promises, and expecting their fulfilment; — "Ask 
and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall 
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." 

Thus be upright, and thus be diligent, and the Lord 
will lead you into green meadows, and by the side of 
the waters of comfort. You will increase in self- 
knowledge, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 
Your experience will become deeper; your relish for 
divine consolations keener; your taste of them pleasanter; 
your assurance of sitting down at the marriage-supper 
of the Lamb, a stronger principle — firm in sorrow — 
shedding light around you, as you walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death — and placing this lan- 
guage of joy upon your expiring lips — "Absent from 
the body, present with the Lord." 

II. Before the foundation-stone of the spiritual build- 



170 



THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 



ing can be laid in the soul of man, there is much to I 
be removed. 

The difficulties that Zerubbabel had to encounter 
in building the temple at Jerusalem, were called "a 
mountain ;" — " Who art thou, great mountain < ?" And 
there is a mountain which needs to be removed before 
the work of religion can be carried on in the soul of 
man. This mountain is Prejudice. 

The leading principles of the Gospel are in full 
opposition to the leading principles of the human heart. 
The Gospel, having declared all under sin, totally deprav- 
ed, absolutely condemned, and without strength, reveals 
salvation by Christ alone — justification, free, and full, 
and final, by his blood and righteousness — sanctifica- 
tion by his Spirit — obedience, not the service of a 
hireling, but the fruit of love to the Saviour — and the 
whole so contrived as to exclude pride from man, and 
to give all the glory unto God. But dislike to this 
humbling and holy salvation abounds in the natural 
heart ; and they who, overcoming the dislike, receive 
it, and feel it, and live it, are sure to have a portion 
of the Redeemers legacy of honour — "Ye shall be 
hated of all men, for my name's sake." 

My brethren ! are any of you amongst the number of 
those who indulge an unrelenting prejudice against 
this glorious Gospel? I beseech you to be candid. 
The mountain must come down; you cannot climb 
over it into the kingdom of God. Pray for the Spirit's 
light. A very slight glimpse of its necessity will make 
you earnest for the blessings it ensures; and a very 
slight glimpse of its excellence will captivate your souls 
to the King of Saints. 

III. The day of small things in an immortal soul, 
must never be despised. 

It is the work of God. It is the purchase of the 



THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 



171 



travail of the Redeemer's soul. It proves the Spirit's 
presence and the Spirit's power. It is leading on to 
full and perfected enjoyment: it is leading on to everlast- 
ing hallelujahs to God and the Lamb. Who, then, 
shall despise the day of small things? 

Come, let us reason together, my dear friends — you 
with whom it is still but a day of small things. Some 
of you, like Lydia, have your hearts opened to attend; 
but beyond attention you have not proceeded. Is it 
not so"? You have some general confused notions con- 
cerning the worth of your souls, and the weighty matter 
of eternity; and you are willing and determined to be 
in earnest. This, the utmost of your attainment, is 
indeed a day of small things. But droop not; it may 
be the day-star arising in your hearts — it may be usher- 
ing in an everlasting and unutterable brightness. It 
may be the first stone of a building which by and by 
will pierce the skies. Some of you have a little light. 
You see something of Sin, but not a ten-thousandth 
part of its real character of vileness; something of the 
Gospel, but not a thousandth part of its character of 
glory ; something of the Saviour — but of the lengths, 
and breadths, and depths, and heights, of his excellence 
and grace, you have very faint and unsatisfactory con- 
ceptions. You seem surrounded by indistinctness; but 
still your cry is " Oh send out thy light and thy truth ! " 
The indistinctness will give way. You are assuredly 
walking to that City which has no need of the sun, 
neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of 
God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 

Who, then, shall despise the day of small things? 
The Lord does not despise it. The parable of the 
Prodigal Son shews that he does not. His mild and 
tender treatment of him who could only say, " If thou 
canst do anything, have compassion on us and help 



172 



THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 



us," shews that he does not. The whole of his conduct 
whilst on earth, and all his gracious invitations from a 
throne in glory, unite in telling us that he does not 
despise it. Oh no. He will not break the bruised 
reed, nor quench the smoking flax. 

Angels do not despise the day of small things. They 
observe with eagerness the first turning of the heart 
to God, and the repentance of a sinner is one part of 
their joy in heaven. 

They who have made progress in the good ways of 
God do not despise the day of small things. They 
remember when they were babes in their Father's family, 
— how ignorant, yet unteachable, how helpless, yet 
untractable — and now that they are strong, they can 
easily bear the infirmities of the weak. They rejoice 
to carry the lambs of the flock in their bosom, and to 
tell them of the care and the kindness of the Good 
Shepherd, and how he laid down his life for the 
sheep. 

And you, with whom it is yet only the day of small 
things, ought not to despise it. Be greatly thankful, 
my dear friends, that you see and feel a little, and 
desire more. Whatever leads your thoughts and hearts 
towards heaven, came from heaven. The disposition 
to seek, came from him whom ye seek. Value this 
day of small things. Press forward in the use of 
means. Neglect no duty; venture wilfully upon no 
sin. Preserve great tenderness of conscience, and call 
daily upon the Lord for light, mercy, grace, strength, 
and salvation. 

IV. The day of small things, I observe in the 
fourth place, is a day of precious things. 

What says the Scripture concerning our natural cha- 
racter and condition % " The heart is deceitful above all 
things and desperately wicked." "The carnal mind is 




THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 



173 



enmity against God." "Dead in trespasses and sins." 
"By nature children of wrath, even as others." These 
awful passages describe all mankind. In the principles, 
dispositions, and affections of their souls, they are in 
full opposition to the glorious God; and the dreadful 
curse of his insulted and broken law abideth on them. 
However loftily they may carry it towards their fellow- 
sinners; with whatever presumptuous confidence they may 
look into eternity ; this is their character — rebels in a 
state of condemnation. Allowing then what the Scrip- 
tures positively declare, that God has a terrible controversy 
with every one in whom the carnal mind is unsubdued, 
say, oh say, is not the day of small things a day of 
precious things'? There may be many weak believers 
present. You can scarce call yourselves believers. Your 
faith is but a spark ; your prayers — why you are ashamed 
of them. Your thankfulness — oh how feeble! Your 
zeal for ,God — it is a weak and damaged spring. 
You feel yourselves so very unworthy, that to indulge 
a good hope towards God seems hypocrisy or presump- 
tion. But still your desires are stretching upwards ; still 
your soul is thus speaking unto the Lord God of 
salvation — "Whom have I in heaven but thee ; and there 
is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of thee." 
Can you say this truly — in judgment and in heart*? 
Your day of small things is a day of precious things. 
Every grain of this experience is of more value than 
mountains of gold and silver; yea, than all the pomp 
and glory of the world. Riches and honours profit not 
in the day of wrath; but the real spiritual desire will 
change the day of wrath into a day of mercy. Oh 
bless and magnify the Lord, then, for what you call 
" small things ;" — for the yearning after heavenly bles- 
sings ; for the relish which you feel for spiritual pleasures; 
for the sincere prayer, though it may be broken and 



174 



THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 



defiled; for the faith, which leads you to look, though 
perhaps but feebly, and dimly, and tremblingly, to the 
Lamb of God; for the hope and comfort, however faint, 
which arise from the consideration of the Cross, the 
love, and the promises, of Jesus Christ. Bless and 
magnify the Lord, I say, for every portion of this expe- 
rience. It is most precious on two accounts; it came 
from above — for a man can receive nothing except it 
be given him from heaven ; and it is a pledge that you 
will see greater things than these. It is the first-fruits 
of a harvest concerning which the great husbandman 
will say — <f Gather the wheat into my barn." 

Yes, my friends, the day of small things will become 
a day of great things. You have felt the power of the 
Son of God as the Author of faith, and you will feel 
his power as the Finisher of it. He laid the founda- 
tion, and he will bring forth the head-stone. You 
will have to struggle with difficulties; you may have 
to go through darkness, and to endure many storms. 
The enemy will thrust sore at you that you may fall, 
and, again and again, to your own apprehension, you 
may be everything but destroyed. Fear not: " being 
confident of this . very thing, that he which hath begun 
a good work in you, will perform it until the day of 
Jesus Christ." These words secure you. This promise 
fixes you within the bonds of the Covenant; and 
he who would force you thence, must first force his 
way even to the throne of the Son of God, and then 
pluck you out of his almighty hand. 

These considerations should teach you to give dili- 
gence to make your calling and election sure. The 
promises, rightly understood, call forth activity. The 
Lord works by means. Through means he brings 
forward his glorious ends. He had engaged that the 
Temple at Jerusalem should be built; but the engage- 



Vv 

\ 



THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 



175 



ment, so far from making the people idle, stirred them 
up to exertion. Let the promises have the like effect 
upon you. Watch and pray; call upon the Lord con- 
tinually, and call upon him with full purpose of heart, 
fervently. Your adversaries are a legion; and your 
strength — what is if? Is it the feebleness of a bul- 
rush? It is less than that. Hear the voice of Jesus 
— ff Without me ye can do nothing." Your courage 
and confidence, then, in the christian warfare, must 
arise from the Lord's fidelity to his promises. He who 
trusteth his own heart, is a fool : he who trusts in the 
sure word of God, will be kept in peace. 

V. I observe, in the fifth and last place, that the 
spiritual building of which we have been speaking, 
from the foundation to the top-stone, is all of Grace. 

It was said of Zerubbabel concerning the temple 
which he was commanded to raise — "And he shall 
bring forth the head-stone thereof with shoutings, 
crying 'Grace, Grace, unto it/" The same may be 
said concerning the whole Church of God. " Thou hast 
wrought all our works in us," will be the adoring 
acknowledgment of the heavenly hosts. It was the free 
grace of God which chose man and not angels to be the 
object of redeeming mercy. It was the free grace 
of God which laid the plan of salvation, and which 
gave the eternal Son to be a sacrifice for sin. It is 
free grace which leads the awakened and alarmed 
transgressor to Jesus Christ for pardon and for peace. 
It is free grace which upholds the redeemed soul con- 
tinually. If grace were withdrawn, the soul would fall ; 
and, falling, would rise no more, unless the power and 
goodness of the Lord were again put forth. ee I, the 
Lord, do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest 
any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." It is free 
grace which begins, which carries on, which completes, 



176 



THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 



the spiritual building in the soul ; and when the head- 
stone is brought forth, it will be brought forth with 
shoutings — and redeemed millions will cry aloud with 
love and wonder, tf Grace, Grace, unto it." 

If, then, salvation be of grace — of the free unmerited 
favour of God, in and through Jesus Christ — the vilest, 
if they unfeignedly return, may be assured of a welcome. 
" Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out" 
is the promise. In no wise ! No ignorance, no 
weakness, no guilt, no aggravations of sin, no strength 
of corruptions, can, according to this promise, hinder 
one soul who comes to Christ, from being saved eternally. 
Come, then, all ye who have never come before. Draw 
nigh without a moment's delay. The door of mercy 
is yet open ; and is open for you. 



177 



SERMON X. 

THE PRIVILEGES AND DUTY OF BELIEVERS.* 



Hosea, xiv. 4. — Take with you words, and turn unto the Lord. Say 
unto him — ' Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously ; so 
will we render the calves of our lips.' 

That verse of fulness and mercy which precedes the 
text, was considered somewhat at large on the last 
sabbath : " Israel, return unto the Lord thy God, 
for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity." 

It is a wonderful sight to behold the great God and 
terrible, the holy and insulted God, the God to whom 
vengeance belongeth, stooping down, as it were, from 
his eternal throne, and stooping to the miseries of the 
rebellious; stooping to the language of compassion and 
beseeching; stooping to beseech nothing less than the 
return of sinners, that they may find happiness in 
himself. Surely these different unfoldings of the ma- 
nifold grace of God, should be viewed with the gazing 
attention of the whole soul; should be viewed until, 
through a blessing from heaven, the view rescues all 
the powers of the inner man from the dominion of self, 
and fixes its entire and adoring affection on the God 
" of whom cometh salvation." 

* Preached at St. Anne's on the 21st of March 1824, and now printed for 
the first time. 

Y 



178 



THE PRIVILEGES AND 



But if the first verse of the chapter which so frankly 
invites the sinner's return, be so very gracious — surely 
the verse which I have read for the text may almost 
seem to exceed it in grace. The rebellious, on their 
return, might be covered with confusion, and know not 
what to say to their offended God. He meets them 
in their perplexity, and supplies them with words and 
supplications. He thus instructs them — "Take with 
you words, and turn unto the Lord. Say unto him — 
'Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously; so 
will we render the calves of our lips.'" God is indeed 
Love; — was ever love like this? 

There are two general points which claim our atten- 
tion. 

I. The privileges of sinners, when they are returning 
unto the Lord. They may plead with him, and they 
may ask largely. "Take with you words. Say unto 
him — 'Take away all iniquity, and receive us gra- 
ciously.'" 

II. Their duty, when they have returned. " So will 
we render the calves of our lips." 

And may the Lord teach us, by his good Spirit, to 
profit by the consideration both of the privileges and 
the duty, to our souls' eternal peace! 

I. I consider, agreeably to the preceding arrangement, 
the privileges of sinners when they are returning unto 
God. 

They may plead with the Lord why he should shew 
them his mercy, and grant them his salvation. And 
what may they plead % Seeking, and perhaps sorrowing 
souls, to you I speak. You may even Jill your mouths 
with arguments why you should be heard, and forgiven, 
and renewed, and comforted, and blessed for ever. You 
may plead with God, his own most gracious nature. 
Why has he revealed himself under the name of Love *? 



DUTY OF BELIEVERS. 



179 



Why has he made it known, where his G-ospel comes, 
that he delighteth in mercy, and delighteth in those 
who hope in that mercy ? Why — except for this two- 
fold reason — that you may give him the glory of his 
goodness; and make it, through the redemption there 
is in Christ Jesus, your refuge, your hope, your con- 
fidence, and your rejoicing. 

You may plead — and oh, it is a mighty plea! — the 
sacrifice of his beloved and bleeding Son. His blood 
was shed as a ransom. It is revealed as a passover 
from the destroying angel; and sinners, without excep- 
tion, are welcome to apply to, and trust in, "the Lamb 
that was slain," and to leave and lose their guilt at 
the foot of the cross, where the eternal justice of God 
was eternally displayed and vindicated. In doing so, 
they will meet a reconciled God, and they will hear 
him saying — "Fury is not in me." 

You may plead — his free, unfettered invitations. 
What could he mean when he uttered from his Mercy- 
Seat in heaven words like these — "Let him that is 
athirst, come; and whosoever will, let him take of the 
water of life freely What could he mean but to 
throw down every wall of separation which unbelief 
and Satan might have raised between the sinner and 
himself? What could he mean but to tell him that 
the arms and the heart of the Lord were open to re- 
ceive him, and to shelter him from every enemy, and 
to save him with an everlasting salvation'? 

You may plead more than this. You may plead 
his sure and never-failing promises. Take one from 
among one thousand — " And whosoever shall call upon 
the name of the Lord, shall be saved." Look unto 
the heavens. The sun, the moon, and the stars, are 
moving in their appointed places, and moving by the 
will and word of God. By the same will, and 



180 



THE PRIVILEGES AND 



the same word, were the promises spoken; and, like 
the worlds shining in the firmament, they are secure. 
Nay, they are more than secure. Sun, and Moon, and 
Stars, must be overthrown and come to nothing; but 
the promises, and the weakest soul that builds upon 
them, will survive and will triumph amidst the wreck 
of all things. 

You may plead — the glory of his name and character. 
You feel your need of his great salvation. You approve 
and admire it; you seek an interest in it with your 
whole heart: you seek an interest in its holiness and 
grace, as well as in its mercy. You seek that interest, 
in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ. If it 
were possible that you could be disappointed in your 
desires and your hopes and your seekings, where were 
the honour of the Lord God*? — where the honour of 
his mercy, whose bright glory it is to save*? — where 
the honour of his truth, which is embarked on the 
fulfilment of his engagement 4 ? — where the honour of 
his Son, who gave his life a ransom for all who should 
believe on him 4 ? I could as soon believe that the 
sun in the heavens would this day forget his going 
down; that the law which Grod has given to his vast 
creation would this moment be broken in every part 
of the universe; — as that the Lord would tarnish the 
glory of his character by refusing salvation to the 
meanest sinner who feels his need of salvation, and 
who humbly and unfeignedly seeks it. Jesus died for 
the ungodly; and it is the ungodly whom the Lord 
Jehovah has pledged himself to save. 

My dear brethren — when you would return unto the 
Lord, take with you words. Plead his own most 
gracious nature ; the sacrifice of his beloved and bleed- 
ing Son; his free, unfettered invitations; his sure and 
never-failing promises; and the glory of his name and 



DUTY OF BELIEVERS. 



181 



character. Thus plead, and put down unbelief. Thus 
plead, and resist the temptations of Satan. Thus plead 
— and a victory, full of spiritual advantages and spiritual 
enjoyments, will infallibly be yours. 

But you are not only permitted to plead with con- 
fidence — you may ask largely. "Take away all 
iniquity." It is the honour of a king to pass by a 
transgression; it is the honour of the King of kings to 
pass by all the transgressions of all who seek him 
in and through the Son of his love. Go with your 
unwilling forgivenesses, or your half-forgivenesses, to 
men like yourselves. This way of acting may suit 
their littleness and their selfishness; but it is not so 
with the great and glorious God. When He pardons, 
he abundantly pardons. When He cancels sin, he 
takes away all its crimson, and makes it white as 
snow. When He remits iniquity, he casts all iniquity 
"behind his back into the depths of the sea." Take 
care then, when you ask for mercy in the name of 
Jesus, that you make large requests, and with large 
expectations. You cannot ask too much, if you ask 
it believingly. Take care to ask, that every kind and 
colour and degree of sin may be remembered no more 
for ever. 

But you are permitted to extend your requests still 
further. "Take away all iniquity — and receive us 
graciously'' You have the authority of the Lord him- 
self to ask that he would place you among his children ; 
that he would take you to his bosom; that he would 
give you the hidden manna; that he would refresh 
your souls by communion with himself; that he would 
seal you to the day of redemption, and then number 
you with his saints in glory everlasting. 

From this view of the subject I venture to say that 
the returning penitent is even laden with encouragement. 



182 



THE PRIVILEGES AND 



Let the humble hear thereof and be glad. But what 
encouragement is there for those whose hearts are neither 
won nor affected by the astonishing grace of God in 
Christ Jesus What encouragement for those,, who, in 
spite of invitations as free and as general as the light, 
and of promises exceeding great and incomparably 
precious, go on still in their wickedness? What 
encouragement for those who continue to set up that 
common idol, the world, in their hearts ; and who seek 
from its wealth, its vanities, and its shadows, that hap- 
piness which they should be seeking from a Redeemer's 
love? How can such neglecters of so great salvation 
escape ? To them, everything is speaking wrath. The 
Law speaketh wrath, and the Gospel speaketh greater 
wrath ; and Conscience, when once it begins to perform 
its office faithfully, will speak of wrath still more mighty 
— wrath, which shall add horror to the hour of death ; 
unspeakable terrors to the Day of Judgment; and to 
a rapidly approaching eternity, all its anguish, and 
blasphemy, and despair. Ah! what fools are sinners, 
who, for the merest trifle, or rather, for a certain and 
an awful destruction, neglect their souls which are 
immortal; a redemption wrought out by the precious 
blood of the Son of God; and a heritage which would 
magnify eternally even the unsearchable love of the 
Father. Brethren — the subject is immensely serious. 
Let us pray, one and all, that we may not come into 
the fatal secret of the many, who, with the means of 
obtaining present peace, are satisfied with a world 
bringing forth briars and thorns; who seem to prefer 
the service of the great Destroyer before the service of 
the great Redeemer, and who are madly trying the 
dreadful experiment whether the broad path of earth- 
liness of pursuit will not lead them to glory and 
honour and eternal life. Let us all go, in a temper 



DUTY OF BELIEVERS. 



183 



of child-like willingness, to the teaching of the Holy 
Spirit^ and learn what that scripture meaneth, "Except 
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
God." 

II. Having considered the privileges, even of sinners, 
when they are returning unto God, I consider, in the 
second place, their duty when they have returned. 
"So will we render the calves of our lips." 

Under the law of Moses, calves were sacrificed; and 
the meaning of the passage in the text is this — "So 
will we render the sacrifice of thanksgiving." 

Brethren! — have you — through faith — through a 
humble and feeling reliance of the soul on the media- 
tion of Jesus Christ, penitently returned unto God 4 ? 
Endeavour — by watchfulness, by prayer, by self-exami- 
nation, by diligence in all the means of grace — to have 
your repentance, your return to God, your acceptance 
through Jesus, cleared up to your consciences. Here 
make thorough work ; and then, and not till then, will 
you cheerfully offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. 

Christian believers ! — ye who know that you are 
believers in spirit and in truth, hang not your harps 
upon the willows. If unbelief has placed them there, 
take them down, -and sound forth "Glory be to God 
on high." You have to sing both of judgment and 
mercy. You have to sing of judgment; you have 
probably to sing of providential judgments. The Lord 
laid waste your comforts ; he broke in upon your plans 
of a worldly paradise ; and, by terrible things in righte- 
ousness, he darkened your prospects, and brought your 
comforts to naught. Then you ceased from man, and 
then you sought the Lord. — You have to sing, it may 
be, of spiritual judgments. You were enlightened to 
see your ruined state, and the tremendous precipice on 
which you stood. You were in alarm; you were in 



184 



THE PRIVILEGES AND 



horror. The tempest within laid your self-righteousness 
in the dust, and prepared in your soul the way of the 
Lord. The cloud was black and lowering, but it was 
full of grace. — You have also to sing of mercy ; and 
of mercy in all its varied forms. You have to sing 
of forbearing mercy. Oh, how many days, and per- 
haps years, did you forget and disobey the Lord; — and 
the Lord had patience with you; he would not 
destroy you. — You have to sing of convincing mercy. 
The Lord set before you the evils you had done, and 
brought down your self-righteous loftiness, and put the 
cry into your heart, " What must I do to be saved*?" 
— You have to sing of revealing mercy. The Holy 
Spirit glorified Jesus, and shewed you that his redeem- 
ing work was complete, his compassion wonderful, his 
promises unfailing, and the blessedness of believers 
great and eternal. — You have to sing of applying mercy. 
You implored the salvation, and the salvation became 
yours. You sought the pearl of great price, and you 
became rich indeed. You have to sing of mercy, secured 
to you by an everlasting covenant; of mercy, which 
will guide you through the perils of life, through the 
pangs of death, through an existence durable as the 
existence of God. 

But while christian believers are exhorted to render 
" the calves of their lips," and to praise continually the 
God of their salvation, and to praise him not only with 
their lips but in their lives, others must suffer a differ- 
ent word of exhortation. The careless, the wilful in 
transgression, the worldly-minded, the far from God, 
must be called upon to render the calves of their lips 
in earnest and humble supplication. You, my friends, 
if such be present — and are they not? — must seek the 
salvation of God with a persevering earnestness, or there 
awaiteth you a destruction, the very mention of which, 



\ 



DUTY OF BELIEVERS. 



185 



if it were fully understood and spiritually discerned, 
would make trie ears of all who heard of it to tingle. 
Repent and believe the Gospel. Flee for refuge to 
Jesus Christ, and you will find his promise sure — 
" Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." 

One word of general application; for general application 
is abundantly needed. May it reach all our hearts, 
and may it be fixed there by the power of the Spirit 
of the Most High ! 

My dear hearers! — let us solemnly determine to be 
serious. Seriousness becomes us ; for our relation both 
to this world and the invisible world beyond, is a very 
solemn one. Let us review our past lives, and humble 
ourselves for our manifold provocations against God, 
and cling to the Cross of Christ for mercy, and pray 
for the Spirit of Christ to sanctify us wholly, body, 
soul, and spirit. That we may be stirred up to this 
earnest diligence, let us open our eyes on the scene 
before us. Our lives are hastening to a close : we shall 
soon be arrested by our last sickness, and be laid on 
the bed of death. Our bodies will be carried to the 
grave, and our spirits will return to the God who gave 
them. Oh! let us think what it will be to meet our 
Judge, and to render our account! We shall not then 
meet the Man of Sorrows, the tenant of the sepulchre 
of Joseph of Arimathea; we shall stand before the 
Judge of the quick and the dead, seated on the great 
white throne, from whose face the heavens and the 
earth will flee away; whose smile will be heaven, 
whose frown will be hell. Our account will be the 
history of our thoughts, and words, and actions; our 
trial will be final ; our eternity will tremble on its 
issue. Under these circumstances may we cast off 
all spiritual slumber, and escape for our lives — or the 
night will be upon us, when we cannot work. 



186 



SERMON XI. 

THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE, EXEMPLIFIED IN 
THE CASE OF DAVID.* 

(in five parts.) 

PART I. 



Psalm li. 1, 2, 3. — Have mercy upon me, God, according to thy 
loving -kindness ; according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, 
blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine 
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my 
transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 

The Psalm before us was written by David, im- 
mediately after Nathan, the prophet, had been sent on 
an errand of mercy, to reprove him for his heinous 
offences against God and man. He had committed 
adultery and murder; he had done despite unto the 
Spirit of grace; he had cast dishonour upon the holy 
religion of Jehovah: and he lived, as is generally 
imagined, nearly twelve months in a state of stupid 
impenitence. Behold the effect and the triumph of sin ! 
It reigned indeed to awful purposes, and to a most 
disastrous extent. It brought down the enlightened 
and the spiritual King of Israel to a level with the 
darkest and the vilest ; it caused the enemies of the 
Lord to blaspheme; it robbed the Church of God, of 

* Preached at St. Anne's, and published in the Pastoral Visitor. 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



187 



the comfort arid benefit of a consistent example ; and it 
robbed the King eternal, immortal, invisible, of the 
glory due unto his name. Well indeed has the mouth 
of inspiration told us, that sin is "exceeding sinful." 

After Nathan, in a most affecting parable, had des- 
cribed the selfish and abominable conduct of David; 
after he had thus charged home upon his conscience 
his cruel and crying iniquity ; and after the Holy 
Spirit had confirmed and fixed the application — David 
became a transgressor humbled; an offender ashamed, 
abased, :l and confounded; a backslider turned and re- 
covered to God. He wrote the fifty-first Psalm. It 
details the views, the feelings, the confessions, the 
prayers, the determinations, and the conduct, of a sinner 
that repenteth. Let us enter upon the consideration 
of the very interesting subject, in the spirit and exercise 
of earnest prayer; of prayer, for seriousness of heart, 
for heavenly light in our minds, and for an effectual 
and an abiding blessing upon our souls. Let us enter 
upon the consideration, remembering two important 
truths — that the nature of repentance is exactly the 
same now as it was in David's time ; and that our God 
and Judge has uttered this most solemn sentence, 
"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." 

Behold, then, the experience of a true penitent ! 

I. He confesses his iniquity. This is not the habit of 
man in his natural state. He would gladly cover his 
sin, from others, from himself, and from his God. 
But David said, "I acknowledge my transgressions;" 
and every returning sinner does the same. He acknow- 
ledges sin as a personal thing. He cannot lose himself 
in a crowd. It suits neither his situation nor his 
conscience to say, what multitudes are satisfied in saying, 
"It is certain we are all sinners." This general way 
of confession prevents repentance; all genuine conviction 



188 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



of iniquity, vileness, and guilt, is thus removed from 
self, to be fixed upon the multitude. A penitent offen- 
der, in the hours of his humiliation, has no eyes for 
the offences of others; they are turned upon his own 
individual baseness. His language is this : <f 7 am the 
person whose conduct has been most perverse, ungrateful, 
and abominable. / have insulted my God; and by 
me has the Redeemer been forgotten, despised, and 
rejected. / have broken the holy law, and / have 
trampled upon the grace of the glorious Gospel. Behold, 
/ am vile." 

When you, my brethren, acknowledge iniquity, do you 
bring the subject home to your own souls? Do you 
feel and lament that you have followed the devices and 
desires of your own hearts: that you have offended 
against Gods holy laws : that you have left undone 
what you ought to have done, and done what you ought 
not to have done, and that there is no health in you P 
This hearty confession of personal sin is essential to 
repentance. 

II. The true penitent owns his transgressions, without 
offering an excuse. We see a very different disposition 
in Adam and in Eve immediately after their fall. They 
were guilty, and they were impenitent. Adam said, 
"The woman, whom Thou gavest unto me, she gave 
me to eat." Eve said, " The serpent beguiled me, and 
I did eat." They removed the fault from themselves; 
Eve blamed the serpent, and Adam blamed his wife, 
if not his God. And this is the way of all impenitent 
sinners. Their situation, or their business, or their 
temptations, or their something, are always pleaded as 
the causejand the excuse of their offences. Far distant 
from a temper of this description, is the real penitent 
in the presence of his God. He says, "The evil is 
all my own; I willingly yielded to inward sin, and to 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 189 



outward temptation, Thou, Lord, art righteous; 
thy law is holy; thy dispensations are just; all the 
shame, and all the guilt of my iniquity, lie at my own 
door." How does your experience agree with this 
description ?- Do you take the blame of your transgres- 
sions entirely to yourselves, and do you wholly justify 
God *? Where this disposition is wanting, there can be 
no repentance. 

III. The true penitent laments the sins of his heart. 
The sins of the life are the branches; the bitter and 
fatal root from which they proceed, is a corrupted 
nature — a soul alienated from the blessed God. This 
the penitent acknowledges. He looks back; he sees 
that he has robbed God: robbed him of the tribute of 
his thoughts, his purposes, his time, his obedience, and his 
affections. He recollects the wretched disposition which 
he has been prone to indulge — the disposition to seek 
the favour of the world more than the favour of the 
Lord over all; to prefer the exaltation of self, rather 
than desire that God might be glorified; nay, to aim 
at the gratification of some vile lust, instead of coveting 
happiness in fellowship with the Father and with his 
Son Jesus Christ. This baseness of temper he does 
not ascribe to example or to habit. He traces it up 
to an inward principle ; to a deep and radical defilement 
of his fallen spirit, always inclined to evil, and at 
enmity against God. This view, in proportion as it 
is obtained, gives the death-wound to his pride. It 
lays him low indeed; it inclines him to say, with 
unfeigned sincerity, e( Unclean, unclean." My brethren, 
what do you know, and know through a divine light 
and by painful experience, of this heart-iniquity — of 
this total depravity of all the faculties and affections 
of the inner man'? A few gross sins in the life may 
alarm : but it is the conviction and the feeling that by 



190 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

nature all is wrong, which brings down the loftiness 
of man; which lays him ashamed and confounded 
before the Lord ; which excites that poverty of spirit 
which God will not despise. 

IY. He acknowledges the justice of God, in the 
punishment threatened to sinners. The awful decla- 
rations are published : " Cursed is every one that 
continueth not in all things which are written in the 
book of the law to do them." "The wicked shall go 
away into everlasting punishment." With these deter- 
minations, the most part quarrel; against these divine 
sentences the natural heart rises in rebellion and enmity. 
"What," say multitudes, "can the sins of a short life 
deserve an eternity of punishment 4 ?" — and they turn 
away in a rage. Of a far different spirit is the 
repenting sinner. He says, "I see but little of the 
glorious majesty of the Lord my God; my discoveries 
of his infinite purity are very faint ; my sense of his 
vast and unceasing goodness is very slight ; my concep- 
tions of his adorable and eternal excellence are but 
a feeble glimmering; my views of sin, therefore, are 
unspeakably short of what they ought to be. But I 
discern enough to convince me that it is a hateful 
thing, utterly abominable, inexcusably vile: that it is 
the creature lifting up the heel against the Creator, and 
returning him contempt for his good- will. I believe 
and I see that I deserve to perish ; I know of a certainty 
that if I were this moment lifting up my eyes in torments, 
true and righteous would be the judgments of God." 

This part of the subject is interesting and trying. 
It may assist us in distinguishing a true penitent from 
all the world besides. Do you humbly and unfeign- 
edly own, before the heart-searching God, that if he 
were to deal with you after your sins, and reward you 
according to your iniquities, you must make your bed 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



191 



in hell ; and that grace alone has hitherto preserved you 
from the endless ruin *? If you acknowledge this from 
the ground of your heart you possess one evidence of 
repentance unto life. You justify God, and you con- 
demn yourselves. On the contrary, if you do not be- 
lieve that your sins deserve all the vengeance which 
God has denounced against transgressors, everything 
is yet wrong with your souls. You are blind to the 
glory of God, against whom all sin is committed; you 
cannot cry for his mercy, as the free gift ; you will be 
disposed to blame the sentence of the divine law, as 
improperly severe; you are strangers to the broken and 
contrite heart which God will not despise. 

V. He determines, through the grace of God, to 
forsake all iniquity. If we confess our sins with some 
reserves, with a resolution to spare some darling lust, 
our confession is hypocrisy, our repentance is imaginary, 
our religion is vain. Yet here multitudes betray their 
unsoundness. There is some profitable evil which they 
are unwilling to abandon; there is some worldly or 
sensual compliance, to which they will cling; there is 
the love of some earthly pleasures, which they will not 
sacrifice ; there is some fear of reproach for the name of 
Christ, to which they habitually yield ; hence, their con- 
fessions are partial, insincere, and ineffectual. My 
friends, search and try yourselves upon this point. I 
know that the most watchful may be overtaken in 
a fault, and that the believer may be tempted, perplexed, 
and baffled; but I likewise know, that every real Christian 
is an upright character. He is sincere; he wishes 
and prays for the destruction of all his sins : and when- 
ever he is betrayed, by temptation or surprise, into 
what his conscience condemns, he is humbled, grieved, 
and ashamed. He cries for redeeming mercy to forgive 
him, and for* restoring grace to create in him a clean 



192 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



heart, and to hold him up steadfastly in the good ways 
of the Lord. Let the inquiry, then, be faithfully 
proposed, and honestly answered: — are you willing to 
have a right hand cut off ; to have a right eye plucked 
out ; to have everything which God dislikes and forbids, 
sacrificed and destroyed? This hearty willingness, 
this earnestness of desire, to be separated from all iniquity, 
is a mark of penitence. A determination to cleave 
unto some sin, however small that sin may appear, is 
the fruit and the evidence of an impenitent heart. It 
manifests the foul and frightful purpose of not submitting 
to the authority of God. 

VI. The true penitent implores forgiveness. David 
said, "Blot out my transgressions." Many bend not 
their knee, even to ask a pardon from their God. 
They lie down and they rise up; they go to their 
business, into company, or after pleasures, without cry- 
ing from a feeling heart, "God be merciful to me a 
sinner." They are without God in the world; they 
are blind to their danger: they are insensible to their 
misery: they are dead in sin. But the repenting and 
returning transgressor has his eyes opened and his 
conscience awakened. He knows that God has seen 
him in every act of sin which he has committed; 
in the exercise of every corrupt principle which he has 
cherished; in the indulgence of every evil imagination 
which has found a lodgement in his mind. He knows 
that even the thought of foolishness is sin : that every 
sin is written down in the book of God's remembrance : 
and that if one sin be suffered to remain uncancelled, 
his soul will be lost. Hence, he cannot sleep as do 
others. He can truly enjoy nothing, so long as the curse 
of God's righteous law hangs over him, and is ready 
to pour upon him the vials of its vengeance. He 
presents himself before the Lord, and 'says, from a 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 193 

humble and an earnest soul, "Blot out my transgres- 
sions;" he is "fervent in spirit/' for the vast and 
needed blessing. He is the sinner fleeing from the 
wrath to come: the convinced offender, anxious to 
escape everlasting destruction from the presence of the 
Lord. His all is at stake: and he must find mercy 
or sink in endless ruin. 

As this is a point of vast importance, and of actual 
experience throughout the whole Church of God, you 
will suffer me to ask — How is it with you, as to this 
solicitude and seeking after reconciliation and peace"? 
Many of you, I doubt not, feel David's earnestness, 
and will obtain, as David did, an everlasting pardon; 
but many, it is to be feared, are far otherwise minded. 
You have little anxiety. Neither the Law nor the 
Gospel can arouse you; neither the terrors of mount 
Sinai, nor the agonies of mount Calvary, can awaken 
you to diligence. And is the blotting out of sin a 
matter of but little moment % Shall the worm which 
will never die, be encountered without a fear 4 ? Can 
the fire which will never be quenched, be endured 
without a pang 4 ? Will it be found a trifle, to have 
the will, the truth, and the power of the Almighty 
God engaged against you for ever and ever*? What 
mean ye, ye sleepers'? Arise and call upon your 
God for quickening and for pardoning grace ; but 
arise and call instantly. Behold, the Judge standeth 
before the door. 

VII. Another mark of a true penitent is, that he asks 
and expects forgiveness, only in God's way. David 
said " Wash me throughly from mine iniquity." This 
language doubtless refers to the divers washings under 
the law of Moses: and it teaches us that the royal 
penitent sought the pardon of his offences, only through 
the promised Redeemer. 



194 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. It was not 
to incline the Father to shew mercy to fallen man, 
that Jesus took human nature and died, but it was to 
render it honourable to his holy character; it was to 
make it consistent with his pure law and righteous 
government; it was to manifest to all worlds, that in 
laying the iniquities of his people on his eternal and 
beloved Son, he was glorious in justice, as well as 
glorious in mercy. This the penitent learns from the 
Gospel ; and this he is taught by the Spirit of the Lord. 
When, therefore, he implores forgiveness, he submits to 
the righteousness of God, and his heart speaks the 
following language : " Heavenly Father, Oh look upon 
the face of thine anointed. I am vile and guilty, but 
Immanuel is worthy. I come by him, and by him 
crucified. I trust in his redeeming work as all my 
salvation. I plead the promise, 'The blood of Jesus 
Christ cleanseth from all sin.' On his atonement I 
rest my soul: and I cling to his never-failing word, 
'And him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise 
cast out.' " 

Here it becomes necessary to ask, "What think ye 
of Christ? Does he appear to you a Saviour, suitable, 
sufficient, and precious? Do you venture upon him 
as the "sure foundation:" come by him, as the "living 
way:" flee to him as a "refuge," under every accusation 
of conscience, and from the overwhelming curse of the 
divine law which you have broken by your sin ? Does 
your very soul mount up unto God in fervent suppli- 
cation that you may win Christ, and be found in him ? 
To every real penitent the Saviour is dear. Where 
Jesus is neglected, the heart is hard, and the state of 
the soul is a state of ruin. 

VIII. The true penitent calls for mercy, as the free, 
undeserved, and generous gift of God. Hear the Psalmist 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 195 

— "Have mercy upon me, 0! God, according to thy 
loving-kindness." David, before his fall, had done much 
for the Lord, and had suffered much in his righteous 
cause; he had been the man after God's own heart: 
and his affections, with no common degree of ardour, 
had fixed upon the God of his salvation. Yet, when 
he is convinced of sin, and has to seek forgiveness, 
he makes no mention of his services or of his love. 
He draws his encouragement, not from himself, but 
from the gracious nature of God. "Have mercy upon 
me, according to thy loving kindness:" — as if he had 
said "I know, O! Lord, that thou art gracious; that 
thy nature is love; that thou art disposed to pity the 
miserable, and to receive and bless the undeserving 
and the vile, when they begin to fear thee and to put 
their trust in thy mercy; I therefore throw myself 
upon thy boundless compassion; I venture my sinful 
soul upon the covenant goodness of my God." 

This is a subject of great practical consequence. 
There may be some in the congregation, who are be- 
ginning to be afraid and ashamed of living at a distance 
from God. You would gladly return to seek his 
mercy and grace, and to find your happiness in his 
favour, presence, and promises. But you scarcely dare 
to approach. You are looking within, for something 
to recommend you to his notice; but you can find nothing, 
and therefore you are discouraged, disheartened, cast 
down. What think you of the conduct and example 
of the penitent David 4 ? He looked, in the hours of 
his anguish, to the pure goodness of the Lord. Go 
and do likewise. View God, in and through Christ, 
disposed to loving-kindness, ready to forgive, delighting 
in mercy; this view will constrain and animate your 
application. You will pray in faith; you will hope 
against hope ; you will obtain the blessing. But if you 



196 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



will not receive encouragement to come unto the Lord 
for his salvation, except as you find that encouragement 
in yourselves, you will continue in bondage and in 
hardness of heart, far from peace, and holiness, and God. 

IX. The true penitent, I observe in the ninth place, 
often feels a necessity to cast himself upon unlimited 
and inconceivable mercy. Thus did David. "Have 
mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness : 
according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot 
out my transgressions." The consideration of simple 
mercy was not sufficient for his melancholy case; he 
recollected that with God there were "tender" mercies, 
and that these tender mercies were an immense "mul- 
titude." 

I am perhaps speaking to some, the eyes of whose 
understandings have been lately enlightened. You 
behold objects which are new, affecting, overpowering; 
you behold something of the sinfulness of sin, and of 
your own individual baseness ; you see a life spent in 
forgetfulness of God, in horrid unthankfulness for loads 
of mercies, in daring opposition to the will of the 
Almighty, in most abominable disregard of that all- 
gracious Redeemer who endured the cross, despising 
the shame; and under the influence of this terrifying 
view, you are tempted to conclude, " There is no hope." 
David took refuge in the unsearchable goodness of God, 
in the multitude of his tender mercies ; and you are 
permitted to do the same. In and through Jesus Christ, 
there are lengths, and breadths, and depths, and heights, 
of divine compassion and love, which exceed the strongest 
comprehension of angels and archangels: of compassion 
and love, which can rejoice in passing by your unwor- 
thiness, though it be crying for vengeance, and in casting 
all your sins, however crimson and enormous, into the 
depths of the sea. Fly, then, to this multitude of 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



197 



God's tender mercies. Venture your souls upon them 
through the Redeemer's blood: and you will find them 
magnified in saving you from hell. You will receive 
mercy; you will sing of mercy; you will triumph in 
mercy; and mercy will triumph in turning you from 
all your idols., to serve the living and the true God. 

But I may be speaking to some who have drawn 
back from God, after a knowledge of his salvation, and 
an experience of his grace. You professed to have 
found comfort in the good ways of the Lord, but you 
left them for the ways of the world; you forgat God 
your Saviour, and veotured upon sin; like David, you 
went from bad to worse, from sloth to iniquity, from 
indulged iniquity to hardness of heart. But the Lord 
has set before you the things which you have done, 
and your soul is in a tempest. You are roused from 
your stupor; you behold the precipice where your sin 
has placed you, and your alarm is great ; you are 
afraid to close your eyes in sleep, lest you should open 
them in torments. David was a backslider — a sinner 
against light, and vows, and love ; but he acknowledged 
his transgressions, and threw himself upon the multi- 
tude of God's tender mercies : and the Gospel encourages 
you to follow the example. Confess your iniquity, 
with all its baseness and aggravations: come again 
unto Christ, and, through him, trust in God's forgiving 
and overflowing grace. You will find it sufficient for 
you : and you will join at the last an immense company 
of backsliders, and perhaps David at their head, who 
had repented of their sins, who had again taken hold 
of the covenant, who were received and forgiven, re- 
newed and glorified. 

Before I close this part of the subject, I must say, 
Let none presume. If you venture to offend God 
because he is good ; if you sin, that grace may abound ; 



198 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



your case differs altogether from the case of David — 
and awfully different may be the consequence. David 
was taken to glory,, a monument of the mercy of the Lord ; 
you may be left to perish, a monument of the wicked 
presumption of man. David will add loudness to the 
songs of heaven: you may add loudness to the des- 
pairing blasphemies of hell. 

The discourse will be concluded by an application of 
the subject to those whom the Lord has blessed with 
a heart of flesh. You think of yourselves, in some 
degree, as you ought to think; your lofty looks are 
humbled; you are in a low room, and you are there 
by your habitual feeling and choice; you are willing 
to submit unto the righteousness of God, and to give 
God the glory of your changed mind. Right dear 
in the sight of the Lord is this temper of penitence : 
and that you may advance in deeper and deeper con- 
trition, I exhort you to be seeking, in dependance on 
the Spirit's light and power, daily and increasing dis- 
coveries of the evil of sin and of your own sinfulness. 

Seek increasing discoveries of the evil of sin. What 
is sin? It is a rejection of the holy law which the 
Lord has given to man ; it is a contempt of the divine 
presence; it is a defiance of the power and vengeance 
of God ; it is the return of insolent neglect for multiplied 
mercies; it is the rebellion of a creature, against the 
honour and government of Jehovah; it is enmity, which, 
if not limited by the weakness of an arm of flesh, 
would subvert the throne of the King of kings. 

Seek increasing discoveries of your own sinfulness. 
David said, " My sin is ever before me." The recol- 
lection accompanied him; he thought of his sad fall, 
again and again, with confusion and sorrow ; he would 
indulge the remembrance, that he might be humbled. 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



199 



ashamed, and mortified, ever more and more. Go and 
do likewise. Your transgressions have been multiplied : 
and they have a colour, a baseness, an aggravation, 
known only to the Lord and to yourselves. Set the 
whole, and set it often, before you. 

This daily and close view of the evil of sin and of 
your own individual sinfulness, will, through the grace 
of God, be followed by the happiest consequences. 

It will keep you in the valley. It will make you 
of a lowly frame; it will clothe you with humility; it 
will lead you to esteem others better than yourselves. 
And who can tell the preciousness and the advantages 
of this abased state of the heart"? It is the soil in 
which all the graces of the new man grow and flourish ; 
and it guards them from the blasts of hell. It is that 
habit of the soul which gives a sure evidence of 
safety, which adorns the Church, which rejoices angels, 
and which gives glory to God. It is that disposition, 
to which the richest of all the promises is made; the 
high and lofty One who inhabiteth eternity, even dwells 
with him who is poor and of a contrite spirit. 

It will excite a spirit of thankfulness unto the Lord 
your God. You will wonder at his patience with you, 
through days and weeks and years of forgetfulness and 
rebellion; you will wonder more, that he has provided 
a salvation for such transgressors; you will wonder 
most of all, that while multitudes are making light of 
his merciful invitations, you were brought in to the 
Gospel feast : that while multitudes are despising and 
rejecting Jesus as a Redeemer, you are cleaving to his 
cross as your only hope, and glorying in it as your 
highest honour; that while multitudes are filling up 
the measure of their sins, and going to destruction, 
you are animated by a true hope, and are pressing 
on towards heaven. Hear the Lord's command, and 



200 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



the Lords promise concerning you; "Ye shall praise 
the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt 
wondrously with you: and my people shall never be 
ashamed." 

It will arm you against temptation. Recollecting 
the misery which your sins have occasioned you, the 
dishonour they brought upon your God, and the anguish 
they occasioned to your merciful Redeemer, you will 
be prepared for the hour of trial ; and, resting on the 
grace of Jesus, you will have many a seasonable and 
noble victory over Satan and sin. 

It will make you patient under the fatherly chastise- 
ments of the Lord. It is almost astonishing, that they 
who know nothing of themselves, and nothing of gospel 
grace, can preserve their senses, under heavy and con- 
tinued afflictions. Their hearts indeed fret against the 
Lord; and they often toss like a wild bull in a net, 
as full of rage and enmity against God as they are full 
of anguish. Christians! set your sins before you. 
Consider how much more suffering you deserve at the 
hands of God ; consider that all you endure, is to make 
you more meet for your great Master's use ; and consider 
further, that your light affliction, which is but for a 
moment, is working for you a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory. These views will make you 
submissive to the Lord's will. They will lead you to 
glorify him, even "in the fires." They will increase 
your desire and your relish for the rest which remaineth 
to the people of God; and they will well prepare you 
for the service and the song of that kingdom which 
none but the humble can enjoy, and from which no 
contrite sinner will ever be shut out. The promise is 
on record, and must be fulfilled; "He that humbleth 
himself shall be exalted." 



\ 



201 



SERMON XII. 

THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE EXEMPLIFIED IN 
THE CASE OF DAVID. 

PART II. 



Psalm li. 4. — Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil 
in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, 
and be clear when thou judgest. 

We have already attended to the frame of mind 
which David was willing and anxious to indulge, after 
the Spirit of God had convinced him of his heinous 
iniquity, He owned his offences; he offered no excuse; 
he set his sin before him ; he made earnest application 
unto his God for pardoning mercy. Yea, he found it 
necessary, in his alarm and depression, to cast himself 
upon the multitude of the tender mercies of the God 
of redemption. 

But out of the abundance of his humble and sorrow- 
ful heart, he would multiply his confessions. The 
discoveries of his vileness became clearer, and the ac- 
knowledgments of it deeper; he proceeds to encounter 
the view of the foulest property, and the most horrible 
aggravation, of all sin. Hear the language of a Pen- 
itent indeed ! " Against thee, thee only have I 

B B 



202 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; that thou 
mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear 
when thou judgest." 

I would direct your attention to three points. 

I. All sin is committed under the eye of God. 
" And done this evil in thy sight." 

II. All sin is committed against God. " Against 
thee, thee only, have I sinned." 

III. God is righteous in all that he threatens, and 
in all which he executes. "That thou mightest be 
justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou 
judgest." 

I. All sin is committed under the eye of God. It is 
surely difficult to review many parts of our conduct, 
without being shocked at our amazing foolishness, as 
well as ashamed of our manifold transgressions. It is 
said of a certain bird, that if it can only thrust its 
head within a bush, it supposes itself unseen and secure. 
This shews the extreme folly of the bird; but have 
not we manifested folly, altogether as great, and far 
more dangerous ? Let recollection and conscience do 
their office faithfully. Have not our minds been very 
frequently the bush, in which evil thoughts, selfish 
purposes, worldly or worse imaginations, have been 
harboured'? — and perhaps we thought them concealed. 
But how read we? "The eyes of the Lord are in 
every place, beholding the evil and the good." "He 
knoweth the very secrets of the heart." "Thou under- 
standest my thoughts afar off." Even before the thought 
obtains a lodgement in the mind, the God with whom 
we have to do beholds its approach. 

Here two reflections will naturally arise. 

How do we appear, at the present moment, in the 
view and judgment of our God? Manifold are the 
motives which have influenced our conduct: thousands 



X 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 203 

are the affections which, by turns, have governed our 
souls; millions are the thoughts which have come into 
our minds. Many of these motives, affections, and 
thoughts, have long been forgotten; but the Lord 
remembers them, and the Lord will bring them all 
into judgment. Who, then, can stand when he appear- 
eth? They, and they only, to whom he has granted 
repentance unto life : to whom gospel mercy and gospel 
grace are precious: to whom redemption by the blood, 
and a new creation unto holiness by the Spirit, of 
Jesus, are the blessings which excite the desires, which 
animate the prayers, which direct the efforts and affec- 
tions, of the soul. 

How mindful should we always be, of the Lords 
perpetual observance! Suppose that the eyes of the 
Lord, bright and piercing as the sun, were always to 
be seen, looking down from heaven upon all the children 
of men. What son or daughter of folly would not 
then stand in awe*? What worker of iniquity would 
not begin to move about with a solemn trembling*? 
Who would not take heed to his ways, and take heed 
to the inmost imaginations of his soul? But the 
Lord's eye is as really upon every action, and principle, 
and intention, and thought, as if we could actually 
perceive it beholding us. What a call upon us to be 
crying out continually, both with the spirit and the 
understanding; "0 God, unto whom all hearts be 
open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets 
are hid, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the in- 
spiration of thy Holy Spirit: that we may perfectly 
love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name.' 

II. All sin is committed against God. It is 
aimed at the Divine Majesty. David said, "Against 
thee, thee only, have I sinned." He had indeed 
sinned grievously against Bathsheba; he had seduced 



204 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

her into evil; he had hurried her forward in the path 
to final ruin. He had sinned against his faithful servant 
Uriah; — Uriah had fought his battles, and David 
requited him by taking away his life. He had sinned 
against multitudes of his subjects, who would be pre- 
judiced against religion by his shameful fall; he had 
sinned against the Church of God, by mingling a profes- 
sion of godliness with most atrocious iniquity; yet all 
these considerations seem to be absorbed, and almost 
annihilated, by a far higher reflection. He had dis- 
honoured the God of glory. This, most of all, 
oppressed his sorrowful heart. This drew from him 
the strong acknowledgment: " Against thee, thee only 
have I sinned." Let the solemn subject be faithfully 
applied to each of our consciences. 

We are sinners ; sinners by practice, sinners by nature. 
Our sins have been great, beyond our comprehension; 
and many, beyond our calculation. They have brought 
our souls into danger; so that if redeeming mercy 
does not pardon us, and redeeming grace does not 
sanctify us, we must perish for ever. Our sins may 
likewise have endangered the souls of many a fellow- 
sinner; nay, our carelessness or our evil, through the 
disastrous influence of example, may have increased 
the eternal misery of some who have already died 
without mercy. These several considerations should 
mournfully affect our hearts. They should excite in 
us a holy watchfulness against sin; a steady fear of 
its deceitfulness ; a determinate abhorrence of it in all 
its actings and solicitations; and perpetual prayer for 
its increasing mortification and entire destruction. But 
let us aim at the views and the feelings of David; 
"Against thee, thee only have I sinned." 

The Lord is glorious in majesty. The heaven of hea- 
vens cannot contain him. He spake, and the world was 



\ 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



205 



made: lie commanded, and it stood fast. In his view 
and account, the inhabitants of the earth are but as grass- 
hoppers; nay, they are but as the drop of a bucket, 
or as the small dust upon the balance; they are as 
nothing, less than nothing, and vanity. Yet to this 
Almighty and incomprehensibly great Jehovah, every 
sinner, when he commits evil, speaks thus by his conduct, 
" Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice T In 
this insolence of an atom of existence rising up against 
the eternal God, we behold something of the abomination 
of sin. 

The Lord is everywhere present, and to him all 
things are naked and open. Hear the language of 
piety ; " Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, or whither 
shall I flee from thy presence*? If I ascend up into 
heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, 
behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morn- 
ing, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there 
shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,' even 
the night shall be light about me; yea, the darkness 
hideth not from thee: but the night shineth as the 
day : the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." 
If such be the language of piety, what is the language 
of transgression*? "Tush, the Lord doth not see." 
Iniquity denies or despises the awful presence of Al- 
mighty God : and in the horrid vileness of this practical 
denial and contempt, you and I have been deeply 
involved. 

The Lord has given a law. "Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy 
mind; with all thy soul, and with all thy might: and 
thy neighbour as thyself." This law is holy, and 
just, and good. It is holy — the perfect image of the 



206 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

all-perfect mind ; it is just — righteous in all that it re- 
quires, and in all that it threatens ; it is good — for if it 
were fully and universally obeyed, full and universal hap- 
piness would be the consequence. God would dwell 
and reign in the heart ; man would feel for the comfort 
of his fellow-man, as he feels for his own: and the 
earth, in moral excellence, and order, and joy, would 
resemble heaven. Yet when sin is committed, this 
pure and lovely law is broken : the Lawgiver is dis- 
honoured; and, as it were, a proclamation is made, 
that God's law is unwise or severe, and utterly un- 
worthy of regard. And have we been engaged in 
making such a proclamation*? Indeed we have. Each 
of our transgressions has renewed and increased the 
insult, which, for nearly six thousand years, has been 
poured upon God. Shall we not then abhor ourselves, 
and repent in dust and ashes*? 

The Lord, I observe, in the fourth place, is very 
pitiful, and of great patience. He endures, with much 
long-suffering, even the vessels of wrath. He spares, 
when his creatures deserve punishment; he gives them 
space for repentance. His conduct is an affecting 
comment upon his oath : " As I live, saith the Lord God, 
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked: but 
that the wicked turn from his way and live." Yet 
here see the vileness of all transgression ; it is a return 
of contempt for pity; it is requiting forbearance with 
rebellion. 

The Lord is faithful and just. He has threatened 
the impenitent with the damnation of hell: and so 
surely as the Lord liveth, he will execute the threat- 
ening. But what is the language of every sinner? 
What has been our language when we ventured upon 
iniquity*? It was nothing less horrible than this — 
"We believe not what the Lord has said; we mind 



\ 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 207 

not what the Lord has denounced; we deny his truth, 
and we defy his vengeance." When we put our conduct 
into words, does it not appear awful, black, infernal: 
the grief of angels, if angels can grieve ; and the rejoic- 
ing of devils, if devils can have joy 4 ? 

The Lord is good and merciful. He has followed 
us, in all our wanderings from him, with continued 
loving-kindnesses: with preservation every moment: 
with providential bounties equal to our wants: with 
health, and with recovery from sickness: with protec- 
tion from many a danger, and with deliverance in 
many an hour of need. But all these vast and varied 
mercies, when compared with spiritual blessings, are 
but the hidings of his face. He has provided a salvation 
for our sinful souls; he so loved the world that he 
gave his only-begotten Son; he gave him, to make 
peace by the blood of his cross: he gave him, to die 
for enemies: he gave him, "for a covenant of the 
people, for a light of the Gentiles: to open the blind 
eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and 
them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house." 
He gave him to be for salvation unto the ends of the 
earth: and all who are athirst, yea all who will, may 
come to the Redeemer, and receive the atonement. 
He has offered the precious gift of his Holy Spirit: 
and to those who trust in Jesus, and pray for the 
Spirit, he has promised mercy and grace : the forgive- 
ness of sin, and a new heart : the defence of his power, 
and the consolations of his presence: communion with 
God on the earth, and glory with God in heaven. 

See now the nature of sin; and let us bring home 
the subject to our own bosoms and consciences. What 
has been our language, whenever we ventured upon 
evil, or whenever we indulged it in our hearts 4 ? The 
language was this: "The goodness of God shall not 



208 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



restrain us ; a bleeding Saviour shall not affect us ; the 
offered mercies of the everlasting covenant shall not 
touch our souls; the Lord may delight in mercy, but 
we. will follow the devices and desires of our own 
hearts; we prefer our sinful indulgences, to his will, 
and service, and glory." Such is the nature of sin; 
such are its foul properties. It dishonours every perfec- 
tion of the eternal and merciful God; it is a hateful 
compound of insult, ingratitude, rebellion, and enmity ; 
it is the rising up of a puny creature against the infi- 
nite Creator; it is the pouring of contempt upon Him 
who has poured his benefits upon us, and who will 
pour into the soul that seeketh him, a full tide of 
everlasting joy. No wonder, then, that the enlightened 
and penitent David, beholding, in one combined view, 
his own foul transgressions and the authority and glory 
of God, breathed out the pious confession : " Against 

THEE, THEE ONLY, HAVE I SINNED." 

III. This view of the subject will lead me to consi- 
der that God is righteous in all which he threatens 
and in all which he executes against sinners. "That 
thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be 
clear when thou judgest." Behold the king of Israel 
pleading guilty: owning that he deserved punishment, 
and that if all the curses which are written in the 
book of the law were to come upon him, the God 
whom he had insulted and dishonoured would be glo- 
rified in taking vengeance. That fallen creature is 
rising above the ruins of the fall; that humble sinner 
is on his way to shine as a saint of glory, who, from 
his heart, is justifying God, and condemning himself. 

Much pains have been taken in arguing against the 
doctrine of everlasting punishment ; but the argu- 
ments have all proceeded from a darkened mind. If the 
objectors had discovered, yea and but in a slight degree 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 209 

the real sinfulness of sin, their objections would have 
been stifled in the birth; their hard speeches against 
the Lord would have been instantly exchanged for the 
feeling and the language of adoration; "True and 
righteous are the heaviest judgments of God." But 
however man may revile and rebel, the Lord will 
proceed against sinners according to what he has spoken. 
His threatenings are not intended to alarm the weak 
and credulous, but to be executed in awful weight and 
everlasting measure upon all the impenitent. They 
will as surely perish, as God is holy and just and 
true. The smoke of their torment will ascend up for 
ever and ever: and all the hosts of the redeemed, and 
all the cherubim before the throne, will cry, "Hal- 
lelujah." 

In attempting an application of the subject, I observe, 
in the first place, that there are few who obtain a 
true sense of the evil of sin ; hence there are few who 
are really humbled. If you could present before the 
eyes of the vain, the giddy, and the ungodly, a view 
of the vileness which is accumulated even in one ini- 
quity, their follies and their sins would be abandoned 
in a moment. But the God of this world hath blinded 
their minds ; they see not their abominations ; they feel 
not their danger: and they pass forward into eternity 
without repentance, and under the wrath of God. 

But the Lord God omnipotent reigneth: and he 
causes the person who is to receive his salvation and 
to rejoice in his kingdom, to pass under the rod; and 
thus he brings him into the bonds of the covenant. 
He opens his eyes, and he opens his heart; he sets 
before him the things which he hath done: and, in 
due time, the sad principle of inward evil, from which 
all outward iniquity has proceeded. He convinces him 
that he is ungodly, and condemned, and without strength. 

C Q 



210 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



These discoveries have produced a great effect; they 
have done that for him, which no reasoning nor per- 
suasion could ever even have begun. He has become 
a poor, abased/ contrite transgressor; he is less than 
the least of all God's mercies, and he knows it; he 
is unworthy of the crumbs which fall under his table, 
and he feels it; he is, from moment to moment, kept 
out of the pit of ruin, by a wonderful exercise of divine 
patience, and he owns it. He asks unfeignedly, 
"What must I do to be saved V He cries from a 
troubled spirit, "God be merciful to me a sinner;" 
and he stands ready, in undisputing simplicity and 
sincerity of soul, to receive mercy, and grace, and an 
entire salvation, just as it may please God to offer 
them. This is the sinner that repenteth; this is the 
preparation of mind and heart, for receiving and enjoy- 
ing the fulness of the blessings of the gospel of Christ. 
Is this preparation yours? Is your loftiness brought 
down*? Do you see that your own wisdom can only 
lead you into dark uncertainty: that your own strength 
can only keep you in captivity to your spiritual enemies : 
that your own goodness, if goodness it must be called, 
can only lead you to destruction? This deep convic- 
tion of the natural misery and baseness of man is 
indeed a turning point in all turning unto God. I 
would say to the humble man, "Thou art not far from 
the kingdom of heaven;" I would say to the man who 
is not humbled, ff Thou art without Christ, and without 
hope." Oh pray for the Spirit's light, and let this be 
thy prayer; "Shew me my sins. Shew me the depra- 
vity of my heart. Shew me my danger of perishing; 
and Oh! quicken me to flee from the wrath to come." 

I observe, in the second place, how foolish and mad 
is all self-dependance ! Many trust in themselves ; they 
have made, as they call it, and by their own endeavours, 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 211 

their peace with God: they expect mercy and heaven, 
as the recompense of their own excellence. And such, 
it may be, are some of you. What blindness and in- 
fatuation are hurrying you forward! 

Consider two very solemn truths. Consider, in the 
first place, that such is your sinful nature; such the 
purity of God; such the evil of every transgression; 
that you never lived a day nor an hour, in which it 
would not have been just in God if he had cut you 
down, and you had perished for ever. 

Consider secondly, that you are not submitting to the 
holy plans of God. You are refusing to build on the 
one foundation which his mercy has laid — and can this 
be wise"? You are venturing your souls on your own 
work, instead of trusting in the redeeming work of 
the Word made flesh — and can this be safe*? An 
apostle tells you that it makes you debtors to do the 
whole law. You are rejecting the commandment of 
God, that you shall believe on his Son for salvation: 
and whither must this wicked opposition to the divine 
will, lead you"? Whither, but to the wretched society 
of all the enemies of God who are lost for ever *? My 
friends, necessity is laid upon you. You must cast 
, aside the Pharisee : you must take up the Publican : 
or you must prepare to take up, in the eternal world, 
this doleful lamentation — ff By pride, and contempt of 
Jesus, we have destroyed ourselves." 

How valuable and precious is the gospel of Christ! 
What would have been the state of the world, without 
a Saviour*? All would have been proceeding, a pre- 
pared people to a prepared abode; vessels of wrath, 
fitted for destruction. But through the tender mercy 
of our God, the day-spring from on high hath visited 
us. Jesus has appeared ; his pity can receive ; his 
blood can cleanse ; his grace can sanctify ; his love can 



212 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



win the heart; his power can strengthen and keep the 
soul, even unto life eternal: and his invitation is sent 
abroad, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest." But what is it 
so to come unto Christ as to inherit the promises'? I 
will briefly describe a character who is blessed with 
this saving experience. 

He is the poor, self-abased, and self-condemned sin- 
ner whom I have already mentioned. He reads and 
he hears the Gospel. It testifies of Jesus. Through 
grace, he believes him to be the eternal Son of God, 
the only Redeemer of a perishing world, and able to 
save unto the uttermost. He approves of him in his 
judgment, and conscience, and heart, as wisely and 
wonderfully suited to the vast work of saving sinners, 
fully and for ever. From approving, he proceeds to 
applying ; he calls upon Jesus to save him. From 
applying, he proceeds to depending; other refuge he 
has none — and he feelingly and experimentally hangs 
his soul and his every hope upon the redemption there 
is in Christ Jesus. God's mercy has provided a Way, 
and he walks in it: has provided a Refuge, and he 
flies to it : has provided a Foundation, and he builds 
upon it: has provided Blood as a passover — and by 
a living faith he makes that precious blood his security, 
his peace, and his joy. This is the person who comes 
to Christ. His coming is not a mere notion floating 
in the understanding, without influencing the heart. 
It arises from a disposition which has powerfully actu- 
ated his soul, and which has led him to that cross 
where the justice of God was satisfied for sin; to that 
Christ, who, in a sinner's salvation, " is all, and in all." 

Let each, then, be very seriously making the inquiry, 
"Have I come unto Christ"?" This coming unto the 
Saviour for peace and life is a matter of inward expe- 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



213 



rience, and, on careful examination, may soon be known. 
If your worldly affairs were in disorder, you would easily 
discover upon what, or upon whom, you were depend- 
ing for relief. If you have discovered that the concerns 
of your souls are in a state of ruin, a careful attention 
to the desires, the movements, and the reliance, of your 
hearts, will reveal to you whether you have "the faith 
of God's elect." Do you possess it 4 ? Then look 
around you and above you. Look around you, and 
behold the favour of God compassing you as with a 
shield; look above you, and behold your everlasting 
habitation, where Christ, your beloved Redeemer, is 
reigning in all his glory. But are you yet strangers to a 
believing application to the Son of God for his great 
salvation 4 ? You are then strangers to peace with God: 
and you can have no security that your souls, in their pre- 
sent state of ruin, may not this night be required of you. 

If the vile properties of sin be those which have 
been mentioned, how watchful should Christians be 
against it! Believers in the Son of God! — to you I 
speak. Be often considering what sin has done. It 
has dishonoured the glorious God ; it brought to agony 
and death the blessed Jesus; it has filled the earth 
with lamentation, and mourning, and woe; it placed 
you on the brink of hell, and it still occasions you many 
a pang ; it has given to Satan, the great enemy of God 
and man, all his triumphs; it is hurrying forward 
thousands of the impenitent, on every side, to the bitter 
pains of eternal death. Need I then say, hate sin 
under all its disguises ; resist it in all its actings ; pray 
against it, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit 
— and maintain the warfare without weariness, and 
without ceasing. "Be faithful unto death," looking to 
and living upon the Saviour's promise, "and I will give 
thee a crown of life." 



214 



SERMON XIII. 

THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE, EXEMPLIFIED IN 
THE CASE OF DAVID. 

PART III. 



Psalm li, 5. — Behold I tvas shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my 
mother conceive me. 

David, as we have at large considered, had unfeign- 
edly lamented and fully confessed the gross iniquity 
into which he had fallen. He had acknowledged that 
his sin was principally heinous, as being committed 
against the gracious and glorious Grod. He had owned, 
with that reverent submission which the Spirit of the 
Most High can alone produce in the heart of a sinner, 
that the judgments of the Lord, when he visits for 
transgression, are righteous altogether. He was made 
willing to lie, as a criminal justly condemned, at the 
footstool of divine mercy; and if divine mercy should 
visit and forgive him, he was well prepared to ascribe 
unto God the entire glory. 

But he is not yet satisfied with his free and full 
confession. He would trace the stream of his evil up 
to its fountain. He had considered the branches; he 
would now examine the root ; and he gives us the result 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



215 



of his examination, in the words of the text. " Behold 
I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother 
conceive me." He confesses what is usually called, 
" original sin ;" a state of heart, naturally inclined to 
evil: a disposition, always prone to depart from God, 
unawed by his fear, unmoved by his goodness, impelled 
by enmity against him: and therefore always offensive 
to his holy mind, and always exposing a sinner, while 
unforgiven and unrenewed, to a full measure of ven- 
geance. The subject is of immense importance. While 
we remain ignorant of our ruined nature and our total 
depravity, we remain unhumbled: we reject Gospel 
grace and salvation: we stand it out against God in 
proud and daring hostility. But when we truly know 
ourselves, by the teaching of the Spirit, the contrite 
heart becomes ours. "Be ye reconciled to God," is 
seen to be a faithful, and felt to be a merciful, saying. 
The soul closes with God's most gracious offers of peace : 
and, through the redemption there is in Christ Jesus, 
a friendship is cemented between God and man, which 
is at once cordial and everlasting. 

I would direct your attention to three points. 

I. The fountain of all evil — a corrupted nature. 

II. The proofs or evidences of this wretched taint 
and bias of the soul. 

III. The cure. 
I consider, 

I. The fountain of all evil — a corrupted nature. 
" Behold I was shapen in iniquity." But how can this 
be? Did not the holy God, when he had finished the 
work of creation, take a v iew of all that he had made, 
"and behold it was very good?" He did take a view, 
and he pronounced everything excellent, and man 
among the rest. "In the image of God made he him." 
The Scripture, and the Scripture alone, informs us of 



216 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

the awM change. Adam fell from a state of obedience 
and love, and God withdrew his presence and his Spirit 
from his rebellious and apostate creature. Adam lost 
his spirituality; he delighted no longer in the Lord; 
he fled from his glorious presence; he was dead to 
every heavenly affection; his carnal mind was enmity 
against God. The Scripture teaches us another con- 
sequence: "By one man's disobedience many were 
made sinners." After Adam had fallen, he could only 
impart to his posterity the same nature which he then 
possessed: and with that fallen nature all mankind 
enter the world. Each and every one has mournful 
occasion to use David's language: "Behold I was 
shapen in iniquity." This part of the subject will 
lead to five observations. 

I observe, in the first place, that though clouds and 
darkness are round about the Lord, yet righteousness 
and judgment are the habitation of his throne. That 
we should be affected, and so deeply affected, by the 
sin of Adam, as to inherit his corrupted and guilty 
nature, may, to our feeble and ignorant minds, appear 
most mysterious : and many, in the pride and blindness 
of their hearts, have so reasoned and objected, as if the 
ways of the Lord were not equal. "But who art 
thou, O man, that repliest against God 4 ?" One thing 
is certain, that the judge of all the earth cannot but 
do right. He is holy in his nature, and holy in all 
his works. His law is evidently holy; his gospel is 
a holy gospel. All his dispensations in the world 
prove that he is a just God, hating iniquity. If, then, 
he appears holy and righteous in everything which 
we can comprehend, and if he be the same yesterday, 
to-day, and for ever, we are sure that his permission 
of man to fall in Adam, was a righteous permission. 
It is our duty, silently to adore in unfeigned submis- 



\ 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 217 

sion of soul ; it will be our wisdom, if we speak at 
all, to speak with the apostle's reverence, "Oh the 
depth!" — it will be our blessedness, to be seeking and 
securing the gospel remedy, and to be preparing and 
waiting for that day when the judgments of the Lord 
will all be made manifest. Be it so, that, for the 
moment, he holdeth back the face of his throne, and 
spreadeth his cloud upon it : — the cloud will soon be 
scattered. Wisdom, and holiness, and love, all perfect 
and all infinite, will be seen beaming from every ap- 
pointment. The Lord of Hosts will be exalted in 
judgment, and God that is holy will be sanctified in 
righteousness. This bright day of manifestation will 
be to thee, O Christian, thy day of triumph and re- 
joicing. Thou wilt thank and magnify the Lord for 
thine own salvation: but how will thy adoration and 
blessedness be increased, whilst thou art singing of him 
who gave thee the blessedness — " Thou art worthy." 

Secondly — The total corruption of our nature, through 
the fall of Adam, is confessed by the most holy of 
men; and is most explicitly taught by the unerring 
Spirit of God. Hear the pious Beveridge, speaking of 
the consequences of the first transgression: "We are 
not only deprived of grace, but defiled by sin. The 
image of God is not only rased out, but the image of 
the devil is engraven upon our souls : all men, and all 
of men, being now quite out of order." Hear the ex- 
cellent Bishop Wilkins: "There being not any kind 
of evil, which either man or devil hath committed, but 
there are in our natures the principles and inclina- 
tions to it: the best of us being by nature as bad as 
the worst of sinners." 

Attend now to the declarations of those holy men of 
God who wrote under the inspiration of his pure and 
unerring Spirit. "The imagination of man's heart is 

D D 



218 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

evil from his youth." "The heart is deceitful above 
all things, and desperately wicked." "We are all as 
an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as 
filthy rags." "Dead in trespasses and sins." "The 
carnal mind is enmity against God." "And were by 
nature, children of wrath, even as others." And the 
words of the text are full to the point: "Behold, I 
was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother 
conceive me." If, then, holy men who lived near, in 
their dispositions and prayers, to the Father of lights, 
were not mistaken : and if the Holy Ghost has given 
in the sacred word a true statement, the following 
conclusion cannot be denied — that human nature, through 
the first offence, is altogether weak, depraved, and de- 
filed : that every affection is withdrawn from God ; 
and that every affection is bent on evil. 

Let none who call themselves of the Establishment 
be startled at these strong declarations : for I observe, in 
the third place, that the humbling doctrine is solemnly 
taught and enforced by our church. I will glance at 
one of our Articles, and at one of our Homilies. Our 
ninth Article thus states the subject: "Original sin 
consisteth not in the following of Adam, as the Pela- 
gians do vainly talk, but is the fault and corruption of 
the nature of every man that naturally is engendered 
of the offspring of Adam: whereby man is very far 
gone from original righteousness, and is of his own 
nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always 
contrary to the spirit: and therefore in every person 
born into the world, it deserveth God's wrath and 
damnation." We are likewise thus instructed by one of 
our Homilies. " As, before the fall, Adam was most beau- 
tiful and precious, so now he was most wretched in 
the sight of his Lord and Maker. Instead of the 
image of God, he was now become the image of the 



\ 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 219 



devil: instead of the citizen of heaven, he was now 
become the bond-slave of hell: having in himself no 
one part of his former purity, but being altogether 
defiled; and therefore by the just judgment of God, 
condemned to everlasting death. This so great and 
miserable a plague, if it had only rested on Adam who 
first offended, it had been much easier : but it fell, not 
only on him, but also on his posterity and children 
for ever: so that the whole brood of Adam's race 
should sustain the self-same fall and punishment which 
their forefather, by his offence, most justly had de- 
served." 

This is the strong language of our evangelical Church. 
Are you, my brethren, members of the Establishment I 
You have reason, I believe, to thank God for the 
privilege. She is built upon the foundation of the 
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the 
chief Corner-stone. Her doctrines are true, and her 
worship is spiritual. Study her doctrines ; pray to feel 
their power. Live, through the grace of God, under 
their influence; and the christian temper, and christian 
consolation, and a christian meetness for the inheritance 
of the saints in light, will all be yours. 

There is a necessity, I observe, fourthly, of becom- 
ing acquainted with our fallen and apostate nature. 
Mankind may hoodwink their eyes by prejudice, and 
harden their hearts through pride: and then say, that 
they can neither see nor feel their total depravity. But 
will this blindness and hardness alter the case, or will 
it prevent the consequence 4 ? Oh no. Though hand 
join with hand, and heart unite with heart, in bolting 
and barring out the conviction of the apostacy and ruin 
of human nature, the unbending word of God still 
persists in declaring the awful truths : and the judgments 
of God hold on their way, to crush and destroy the 



220 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

whole world of the impenitent. My brethren, some of 
you may deny the extent, or even the existence, of 
your moral corruption; you may reject the evidence of 
those who feel it, of the church to which you belong, 
and of the God who cannot lie. But what would be 
the end of your continued unbelief? You would neglect 
the remedy, and perish in your sin. Admit, then, the 
conviction, that you may be in this dreadfully fallen 
state. Follow up this conviction by meditation, by 
observation, by humble prayer for God's enlightening 
Spirit. You will then in due time see that the apostle 
was describing you when he said, "For in me, (that 
is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing." The feeling 
of this will humble you. You will go from light to 
light, and behold the gospel to be a precious and a 
sufficient remedy. Salvation by the blood of Christ 
will be all your desire. The renewal of your heart 
by the Holy Ghost will be the burden of your daily 
supplication. You will seek and you will find. You 
will thank the Lord for shewing you your disease, and 
for healing you by his grace: and you will worthily 
magnify his holy name, in a better manner, in a brighter 
world, and with all the ransomed of the Lord. 

Lastly — we see the meaning and the truth of our 
Lord's declaration: "Except a man be born again, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God." If you could place 
a man in heaven, with his depravity unremoved, the 
state of his mind and heart would preclude all enjoy- 
ment. What could he do there? The inhabitants of 
heaven know the Lord; he knows not truly even one 
of the divine perfections. The inhabitants of heaven 
are all spiritual > he is altogether carnal. The inhabi- 
tants of heaven are glowing with the love of Christ : 
he has no affection of the kind. The inhabitants of 
heaven magnify the Lord for redeeming mercy and 



\ 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 221 



recovering grace; he has experienced neither mercy nor 
recovery, and therefore could not join their song. The 
inhabitants of heaven are perfectly holy ; he is entirely 
defiled. What communion, then, could there be between 
his depraved and guilty spirit, and the spirits of the 
just made perfect; between his depraved and guilty 
spirit, and the angels of light ; between his depraved and 
guilty spirit, and the adorable God who loveth righte- 
ousness, and hateth iniquity'? Let all attend, with 
reverence and in faith, to the Judge of all men : " That 
which is born of the flesh, is flesh: and that which 
is born of the Spirit, is spirit. Marvel not that I said 
unto thee, ye must be born again." 

II. I consider, as the second general topic, the 
proofs or evidences of this corrupted nature. Look at 
the fallen and depraved state of man, in his horrid 
disregard of the perpetual presence of God. If we 
lived under the eye of our earthly Sovereign, our dis- 
tance from him, in point of rank, would excite a 
respect for his greatness; we should always remember 
that we were in the presence of Majesty. We should 
feel our situation; we should demean ourselves before 
him with an ever lively and ever respectful attention. 
But let us be placed, as we always are placed, not in 
the presence of earthly, but of heavenly Majesty; let 
us live, and move, and have our being, under the 
awful and all-observing eye of God, and then, if the 
Spirit of the Lord be not powerfully with us, our 
respect and our attention are no more. Is not this 
representation true*? I speak to every one, as in the 
sight of God. Have you not been checked by the eye 
of a child, when the eye of Jehovah could give you no 
check at all 6 ? If the minutes, and the hours, and the 
days, of this inattention to the divine presence were 
added together, they would amount, in the lives of 



222 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



most of us, to many a year of contemptuous indifference 
towards the Lord our God, the Author of our being, the 
Father of all our mercies. Here, surely, is one hateful 
and strong evidence that our nature is most deplorably 
corrupted, and that our hearts are desperately wicked. 

Look at the character of fallen man, in his spirit of 
self-dependence. Our bodies are fearfully and wonder- 
fully made; they are the workmanship of God. Our 
souls possess vast faculties and powers; we received 
these faculties and powers from the Lord of all power 
and might — and neither soul nor body can act or 
survive one moment, but as they are upheld by the 
right hand of the Most High. Yet have not we felt 
and acted as if we had been our own creators and 
preservers % Have we not often laid our plans as if 
we had been independent of God 2 Have we not 
often formed our determinations as if we had made a 
covenant with death; as if we ourselves, and not the 
Lord, could command times, and seasons, and health, 
and life % That cautious language of piety, ' ' If the 
Lord will," was neither felt nor remembered. This 
mad and presumptuous proneness to live as without 
God in the world, is natural to our depraved hearts: 
and it proves the depth of our fall, and our exceeding 
sinfulness. It proclaims, as it were, that power be- 
longeth unto man: but that weakness or inattention to 
what he has created, belongeth unto God. 

Look at the character of fallen and depraved man, 
in his vile unthankfulness. He is followed, surround- 
ed, yea loaded, with the mercies of God. The Lord's 
bounty feeds him; for the earth is the Lord's, and the 
fulness thereof. The Lord's patience spares him; for 
every hour the wages of his sin is death. The Lord's 
goodness deals out to him all his comforts; whether 
those comforts be personal, or relative, or national. 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 223 

Yet, if left to himself, he feels and he renders nothing. 
My brethren, the mercies with which we have been 
visited, have been free, and many, and large. The 
detail of them would fill a volume of no common size ; 
and that volume written within and without. But 
opposite to a multitude of these lovingkindnesses, the 
pen of truth would write — "They rendered not again 
according to this benefit; they returned no tribute of 
affection for this favour from their God: they were 
vilely unthankful." Here we behold another base and 
abominable branch from that corrupted root — -our fallen 
and sinful nature. 

Look at the character of fallen man in his mad pre- 
ference of the world before God. God is wise, holy, 
and gracious. All things are under his control; all 
comfort is at his disposal. To serve him, must be 
safety, as well as duty; to be the object of his love 
and blessing, must be happiness. But see the tendency 
of our corrupt nature; behold what is man. If left to 
himself, he seeks to the world for peace and joy; he 
idolizes the world ; he pursues it steadily, as the dar- 
ling desire of his heart, in the shape of money, or 
pleasure, or fame. He commits two evils; he forsakes 
the fountain of living waters, and hews out for himself 
broken cisterns that can hold no water. He makes 
proclamation by his conduct: s< I value carnal before 
spiritual gratifications. My affections shall cling to 
the earth, and not ascend towards heaven. The world 
shall be my all, and I despise the offered friendship of 
my God." And where do such foolish and sinful 
beings live"? We need not take the wings of the 
morning, and fly to the uttermost parts of the earth to 
seek them. They dwell in every town, and street, 
and village. Conscience, if not asleep or seared, is 
surely now telling each of us, 'Thou art the man/ 



224 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



or 'Thou art the woman/ who hast in thousands of 
instances, insulted thy God, by wickedly loving the 
creature more than the Creator.'" And does not this 
strange and stupid preference of worldly things, before 
the favour, and image, and presence, of the glorious 
God of redemption, shew a horrid extreme of corruption, 
a desperate depth of depravity, yea, such corruption, 
and such depravity, as must give a horrid triumph in 
hell that the Lord is so dishonoured, and fill heaven 
with adoring astonishment at the forbearance of God"? 

Let us look at the fallen and corrupted state of man, 
in his sad and ruinous neglect of the gospel of Christ. 
The apostle's heart, in speaking of the Gospel, is warm, 
full, and overflowing. He calls it, "The glorious 
gospel of the blessed God." It is a revelation of the 
divine perfections: it manifests the Lord, as altogether 
excellent; it is a revelation of the most abundant grace 
to man; it speaks of a broken law, and of a hell 
deserved, but it speaks likewise of a Fulfiller of the law, 
and of heaven opened. It preaches peace, by Jesus 
Christ; it offers, through the shedding of his most 
precious blood, pardon to the vilest who repent and 
return. It is an act of grace, in which none are 
excepted who do not by impenitence and unbelief exclude 
themselves. Its invitations are all free ; its encourage- 
ments are full of grace. Its promises are extensive, 
and are all "yea and Amen." It calls unto the 
rebellious, "Be ye reconciled to God;" it says unto 
the awakened, and alarmed, "Come unto Christ:" and 
it asures those who do come — "Ye shall in no wise 
be cast out;" and to those who receive and walk in 
Christ, it engages not only the forgiveness of all sin, 
but peace of conscience, the adoption of children, fellow- 
ship with God, the light of his countenance, a meetness 
for heaven, and an everlasting inheritance of glory 
and joy. 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 225 

Such is a faint outline of the gospel of God ! Surely 
the poor, then, will gladly accept these vast riches of 
grace ; surely the guilty will welcome these glad tidings 
of mercy, and be all eagerness to magnify a compassionate 
Redeemer; surely the miserable will be anxious for 
happiness in their God; and immortal beings exult in 
the offer of a glorious immortality. Surely all sinners 
to whom the sound of salvation reaches, will be singing 
the praises of the dying and the reigning Saviour, from 
the rising of the sun to the going down thereof. Nothing 
of the kind. If not quickened and taught by the Spirit 
of God, mankind either neglect or scorn the wondrous 
mercy. They pour contempt upon the grace, and upon 
Him who beseeches them to accept it; they act as if 
they were eager to fulfil the prophecy concerning Jesus 
— "He is despised and rejected of men." This dispo- 
sition to neglect Christ, and redemption by his blood, 
is the highest exploit, and one of the strongest evidences 
of .the awfulness, of human depravity. Other sins are 
against the law of God, this is against his grace. 
Other sins bring the soul into danger : this refuses the 
remedy. Other sins are a defiance of the Divine 
Justice: this makes a proud and blasphemous procla- 
mation — "We will not reverence the Son. We will 
not accept of life, through his death. We count the 
blood of the covenant an unholy thing." And have we 
been guilty of this amazing wickedness?- We have 
all been guilty. Whatever be our present state, there 
was a time, and perhaps a long time, when we had 
no more respect and love for the Saviour than Saul of 
Tarsus had when he hated Jesus, his people, and his 
cause. Surely, to be unaffected and disaffected towards 
the blessed and bleeding Immanuel, is to approach 
near indeed to the very worst temper of the devil and 
his angels. 

E E 



226 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



Such are a few of the evidences which we have 
given, of the corrupted condition of human nature. 
We have disregarded the divine presence; we have 
indulged a spirit of proud self-dependence; we have 
been basely unthankful for multiplied benefits ; we have, 
in many a mournful instance, preferred the world 
before God; and we have had the rashness and the 
vileness to neglect the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Before I dismiss this part of the subject, I would 
give one plain and needed direction. Let every day 
find you employed in seeking an increase of self-know- 
ledge. By close and serious meditation, endeavour to 
dive into the depths of your soul's disease. But above 
all, pray for the enlightening Spirit of God, to reveal 
you to yourselves, just as you appear in the Lord's 
sight. In proportion as you obtain the view, every 
high thought will be in the dust. You will adore the 
patience of God ; you will possess the contrite heart ; 
you will value the blood and the Spirit of Jesus; you 
will have solid evidence of your soul's safety — for this 
is the never-failing promise — " Blessed are the poor in 
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." But if 
any of you should remain ignorant of sin and of your- 
selves, you will remain far, eternally far, from mercy 
and from God. 

III. Having considered the fountain of all evil, a 
corrupted nature: and the evidences of this corrupted 
nature, in the dispositions and conduct of mankind, I 
shall consider, though very briefly, the cure. 

The disease is indeed great, but the remedy is 
greater. The danger is alarming, but the deliverer is 
Almighty. Against the full and gigantic might of 
human corruption, aided and acted upon, as it always is, 
by the subtilty and power of the devil, one single sentence 
may be boldly opposed: "My heavenly Father will 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 227 



give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him." This 
part of the subject, in the conclusion of the discourse, 
shall be applied to two descriptions of persons. 

1. To those who feel and deplore their depravity and 
weakness. You have made many a humbling discovery. 
You have experienced the truth of a very alarming and 
painful scripture : " When I would do good, evil is pre- 
sent with me." You have not been able to retain 
your spiritual views. You have often been baffled by 
temptation. Your resolutions have given way, and your 
comfort has departed : and you frequently think it almost 
impossible that you can be made whole. But talk not 
of impossibilities. Cease from yourselves. Talk of the 
divine mercy and promise. Talk of the power of the 
cross of Christ, in slaying the enmity of the heart. 
Talk of the sacred sentence : " Ask and it shall be given 
you: seek and ye shall find: knock and it shall be 
opened unto you." Instead of resolving, betake your- 
selves to prayer. Ask, often in a day, for grace and 
strength ; and simply trust in Jesus to bestow the grace, 
and to bless you with all seasonable and sufficient 
strength. You will then see and enjoy the salvation of 
God. One evil after another will be weakened; one 
spiritual experience after another will be obtained. You 
will go from unbelief to the full assurance of faith: 
from doubting to a triumphant hope: from struggling 
with sin, to an entire victory over its dominion: from 
prayer to praise, and from earth to glory. 

2. To those who neglect the means of cure, and do 
not pray for the promised Spirit of God. You, my 
friends, in common with others, have a corrupted nature 
and an evil heart. Perhaps you deny the charge ; your 
disposition to deny it is part of your disease. It proves 
that you are in a state of blindness and hardness; yea, 
dead in trespasses and sins. But whether you see it 



228 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



or do not see it, your nature is altogether fallen and 
depraved. Whether you know it or know it not, you 
can never he recovered but by the offered Spirit of 
Christ. Whether you believe the declaration of Jesus, 
or do not believe it, it is infallibly true that ef except 
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
God." If you begin to pray in earnest for the Holy 
Ghost, to open your understandings, and to change your 
hearts ; to bring you to the Redeemer, for mercy through 
his blood; and to sanctify your souls, for his service, 
presence, and kingdom; all will yet be well. But if 
you do not ask, and seek, and knock, you will certainly 
die in your sins, and come forth at the last "to the 
resurrection of damnation." 



229 



SERMON XIV. 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE, EXEMPLIFIED IN 
THE CASE OF DAVID. 

PART IV. 



Psalm li. 6, 7. — Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts, 
and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge 
me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be 
- whiter than snow. 

In the verse which precedes the text David had con- 
fessed his natural depravity; the corruption of all the 
powers of his soul; the wicked bias of his heart from 
God, and against God. But did this inward proneness 
to evil serve him as an excuse for his transgression 4 ? 
Could he plead the deceitfulness and wickedness of his 
heart in extenuation of the baseness of his conduct? 
Oh! no. The vile tendencies of our nature, instead 
of being an apology for sin, should excite in us the 
deepest humiliation. We should keep our scrutinizing 
and condemning eye upon them, as the very essence 
of iniquity; as the root of all outward abomination: 
as that wretched bias of the soul, which makes us 
hateful in the sight of a God of holiness, and in pe- 
rishing need of his great salvation. 



230 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



We learn from the words of the text the opinion 
and the feelings of David upon this solemn subject. 
" Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and 
in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean : wash 
me, and I shall be whiter than snow." 

There are two features in the Christian character, 
to which these words may very properly direct our 
attention: sincerity, and earnestness. 

L The character of a real believer is marked and 
distinguished by sincerity of soul: by truth in the in- 
ward parts. God is a spirit. His eyes survey all 
the children of men; he beholdeth their actions, and 
he looketh beyond the action to the heart. The prin- 
ciple, the motive, the most secret purpose, the deeply 
hidden imagination, are all naked and open unto Him. 
They are under his perpetual observation ; and they 
will be subjects of inquiry when he comes to judge 
the world. My .brethren, these are serious considera- 
tions : and if you attain Heaven, you must proceed 
thither in the exercise of uprightness of soul. I will 
endeavour to shew you this in three particulars. 

The Lord calls you, in the first place, to humble 
and hearty confession of your exceeding sinfulness. 
Multitudes imagine that they answer to this call, in 
the public confessions of the Church, and perhaps 
sometimes in private. But let them look carefully 
and impartially within, and they will discover that 
they do not confess with an acceptable sincerity. They 
confess some sins, but not all sins ; they own the sin 
of their lives, but not the sin of their hearts. They 
do not confess unfeignedly ; for they secretly make 
some excuse for their darling and besetting evil. They 
may, in their way, plead guilty on account of the sin- 
ful past; but they feel no abhorrence of sin, and no 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 231 



fixed determination against it, and against the occasions 
of it, for the time to come. This is not truth in the 
inward parts. My brethren, examine yourselves. As 
you are, or are not, in real poverty of spirit for your 
offences against the great and gracious God; in un- 
feigned hatred of iniquity, as an evil as well as a 
bitter thing ; in your resolution, through the Spirit's 
power, to make war against it in all its actings, and 
to seek its entire destruction; so have you an evidence, 
either that you are the children of God, or the children 
of the wicked one. 

The Lord calls you, secondly, to approve and accept 
his great salvation, just as it is offered. Many suppose 
that they do this, though they are altogether ignorant 
of the real nature of the gospel, and in full and strong 
opposition against its grace and glory. They hope to 
be saved by Christ; but their hope arises from some 
fancied goodness of their own, to recommend them to 
his notice, and to merit his mercy. And thus they would 
ascribe the honour of their salvation partly to themselves, 
and partly to the suffering son of God. But this joint 
dependence never exalted a single soul to heaven, and 
never saved a sinful soul from hell. It makes a man 
a debtor to do the whole law. It leaves him unrelieved, 
under its fearful and eternal curse; it is not that up- 
rightness which God's* word requires, and which his 
Spirit produces. Consider now the feelings and language 
of one who has truth in the inward parts, as it respects 
salvation by Jesus Christ. He says — ee I am a sinner 
condemned, and condemned justly ; I can do nothing to 
alter the sentence which is passed upon me; I cannot 
undo what I have done, nor can I, through the sin 
that dwelleth in me, avoid swelling the amount of my 
iniquity ; I have nothing wherewith to purchase salva- 
tion ; and nothing but my misery, as an offender, to re- 



232 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

commend me to the Saviour's notice. But I do not 
and dare not despair. Jesus Christ came into the world 
to save sinners. He invites sinners to come unto him ; 
with all their guilt, to have it pardoned ; with all their 
depravity, to have it conquered ; with all their weakness, 
to have it strengthened; with all their fears, to have 
them scattered; with all their misery, to have it ex- 
changed for the consolations of God. I flee for refuge 
to this merciful and faithful High Priest. I come,, 
just as I am. I trust simply in his blood for pardon 
and peace. I make mention of his righteousness only, 
to justify me before God. And if I am permitted to 
join the ransomed of the Lord in the eternal kingdom, 
I will cast my crown at the feet of Immanuel, and 
sing with all the fervour of a grateful and recovered 
soul — ' Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive 
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and 
honour, and glory, and blessing.'" 

This is the man who receives the Lord's salvation 
with truth in the inward parts. He does not proudly 
quarrel with the free grace of the gospel; he considers 
it as a gift offered to the vilest, to the praise of the 
glory of God; he receives it through the mediation, 
and from the hands of Jesus with thankfulness : and 
he will praise and magnify the bountiful giver, in the 
approaching eternity of glory. • Are you, my brethren, 
upright and without guile before the Lord, in regard 
to his great salvation*? If you bring anything with 
you as a price, you are under the power of unbelief, 
and are yet in your sins ; but if you come with a heart 
humbled for your offences — if you apply unfeignedly 
unto Jesus, as the Lamb of God which taketh away 
the sin of the world — if you are truly seeking to the 
fountain which he opened for sin and for uncleanness, 
and dare not indulge a hope towards God, but what 



\ 
\ 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 233 

arises from his cross — if these be the aims and dis- 
positions of your souls towards the redeeming Son of 
God, you have promise upon promise, in the word of 
truth, that you shall never perish, but have everlasting 
life. 

The Lord calls you, in the third place, to follow 
him, in the way of his commandments. His com- 
mandment is exceeding broad ; it reaches to the con- 
duct, and it reaches to all the affections of the heart. 
"Mortify therefore your members, which are upon the 
earth." "Love not the world, neither the things that 
are in the world.' 1 "That they who live, should not 
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who 
died for them and rose again." These and the like 
commandments extend to the very soul; a cordial 
obedience to them is what God requires, and is a deci- 
sive evidence of truth in the inward parts. My 
brethren, examine yourselves upon this trying point. 
I know that in your very best estate there will be 
much to humble you : in your highest attainments there 
will be much that is defective : in your most spiritual 
moments there will be much that is defiling. But the 
question is this — what is the habitual aim and prayer 
of your soul? Is your secret and frequent language 
before the Lord, like the following % " O thou searcher 
of hearts, thou knowest that I would be holy ; I would 
eschew mine iniquity; I would renounce my be- 
setting sin with abhorrence ; I would set myself 
against every evil way; I would not be conformed to 
this world; I would have my treasure and my heart 
in heaven ; I would love and serve my redeeming God ; 
and Oh, may thy heavenly grace sanctify me wholly, 
in body, soul, and spirit!" Are your desires, purposes, 
and supplications, like these 4 ? If they are, the Lord 
has given you truth in the inward parts. He has 

F F 



234 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



prepared your heart, and his ear is open unto your 
prayers. Press forward with persevering diligence; 
spare no labour. The promises encourage you; the 
success will recompense you; you will gain an in- 
creasing victory over the sin that dwelleth in you; 
you will enjoy the presence and the peace of God; 
your evidences for heaven will brighten, as your meet- 
ness for the inheritance of the saints advances; you 
will go through the dark valley, sustained by "the 
everlasting arm:" and what will you find beyond it 9 
The perfect purity you longed for: the Redeemer in 
his glory, who had become your sanctification, as well 
as your righteousness : the crown of life, and the crown 
of rejoicing, for ever and ever. 

On the other hand, where there is no thirst for 
holiness — no desire for that peculiar enjoyment which 
arises from the knowledge, and presence, and image of 
Christ — there the Holy Spirit is absent: and "if any 
man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." 

II. The character of a real believer is marked and 
distinguished by earnestness to obtain and to enjoy 
the assurance of the pardoning grace of God. ** Purge 
me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and 
I shall be whiter than snow." * David was in earnest. 
One kind or form of petition did not seem sufficient 
to his wretched case. He was a heinous offender, 
saved from the hardness of sin, and aroused from its 
fatal stupour; and he knew arid felt that he must 
either find salvation or endure vengeance. Many are 
at ease. They experience nothing of distress or alarm ; 

* Many things, under the law, were cleansed from ceremonial uncleanness by 
the sprinkling of water or blood, by the means of a bunch of hyssop. The blood of 
the paschal lamb, as the appointed ordinance for the protection of Israel from the 
destroying angel, was applied by the same means : and it fitly represents the nature 
of faith, in applying to the soul the blood of Christ, for preservation from the 
wrath of God. — See Exodus xii. 22. 



\ 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 235 

they mind the present life, without disturbance or 
thought about the future. They pursue pleasure 
without a fear of distant pain : and perhaps they die 
as the beast dies — equally devoid of remorse and of 
apprehension. But is this quietness an evidence of 
safety % Ah ! no. It is a proof of stupidity ; it is the 
effect of ignorance; it is the fatal quietness of self- 
righteous pride, or of a seared conscience. They know 
nothing of themselves ; nothing of human nature ; nothing 
of the divine law which reaches to every affection and 
thought, and condemns for every offence; nothing of 
the holy Lord God, who chargeth even his angels 
with folly; nothing of the dreadful day of judgment, 
when they whose names are "not found written in the 
book of life," will be "cast into the lake of fire." They 
are indeed at ease, but it is the ease of the heart of stone. 

It is greatly different, both as to perception and 
anxiety, with those whose understandings have been 
lately opened by the Spirit of God. They see them- 
selves. They have dared to rebel against the will and 
government of God; they have ventured, in the habit 
both of their lives and of their hearts, to say unto him 
whose name only is excellent, " Depart from us, for we 
desire not the knowledge of thy ways." They see 
their danger : — ** The wrath of God is revealed from 
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of 
men." They behold it revealed against them ; and hell, 
in their ears, is not an unmeaning sound. It includes 
everything terrible: banishment from the presence of 
the Lord ; anguish, and blasphemy, and despair, without 
a moment's intermission; a full and everlasting mani- 
festation of the tremendous justice of God. They see 
that time is short, and that now, now only, is the day 
of salvation. Under these views, they are alive from 
the dead ; they cannot sleep as do others ; they are 



236 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



anxious to escape the threatened vengeance ; they in- 
quire with feeling, " What must we do to be saved?" 
They cry unto the Lord for his pardoning mercy and 
recovering grace. Like the manslayer, under the law, 
they flee to the place of refuge ; like the children of 
Israel in Egypt, believing the approach of the destroy- 
ing angel, they are anxious and eager to be found, with 
the blood of sprinkling as a protection. 

It is for you, my friends, to inquire whether the 
ignorance and stupidity of nature are removed from 
your minds and hearts. Is your fallow ground truly 
broken up by a wholesome conviction of your exceed- 
ing sinfulness, and of the terrible consequences of falling 
into the hands of the living God *? Have the weighty 
words " Everlasting punishment" and "Life eternal" 
awakened you to exertion; made this world shrink 
within very narrow dimensions ; and given to the world 
to come, its true, and grand, and awful importance"? 
Oh, happy are they who are roused to serious diligence ! 
Their diligence has brought them under the promise, 
"Seek and ye shall find." They may often seek in 
confusion and fear ; but they will be visited with increas- 
ing light, and encouragement, and strength, till they are 
blessed with all the fulness of the salvation of God. 

In applying the subject of earnestness in seeking 
the mercy and grace of God, I would give a direction 
of encouragement to the earnest, and a faithful warning 
to others. 

You are perhaps mourning and saying, " My wants 
are many ; my sins are great ; my darkness is dreadful ; 
my corruptions are strong ; my temptations are manifold. 
I am a borderer upon the eternal world : and I must 
have the favour of my God, or I must sink under his 
wrath as a condemned and unclean transgressor, and 
perish for ever." 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 237 



My awakened fellow-sinners, when you apply unto 
God for his pardoning grace, consider his gracious 
nature. Unbelief would tell you that the Lord is a 
hard master; that he forgives with reluctance; that he 
loses something when he forgoes to take vengeance. 
But unbelief is a child of the devil, and the devil was 
a liar from the beginning. Oh! no. God is love. 
He delighteth in mercy; he is glorified in bestowing 
it — yea, in granting an abundant pardon to the penitent 
and believing soul. Seek, by prayer for the Spirit, 
and by close attention to the word, to be well grounded 
in the belief of this great foundation truth; and your 
hope will flourish, and your expectation of finding for- 
giveness will support and cheer you, until you rejoice 
in the blessing. 

Consider, secondly, the Mediator between the Father 
and his rebellious creatures. That Mediator is his own 
Son: one in glory and in godhead with himself.* 
That Mediator, when he shed his precious blood, bore 
your sins, and carried your sorrows. Ask, then, for 
mercy in his name — for his sake — on account of what 
he did and suffered for sinners; and when the eternal 
Father sees that all your hope is fixed on the beloved 
Son whom he hath appointed to be his salvation to 
the end of the earth, he will deny you nothing; he 
will justify you from all things. Hear the Saviour: 
"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every 
one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may 
have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the 
last day." 

Consider that God is to be approached, not only 
through Christ, but in Christ. He is in the Father 
and the Father in him. f His human nature is the 
temple in which the All-fulness dwells. You are 

* John x. 30. Coloss. ii. 9. f John xiv. 10, 11. 



238 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

privileged to look up to God in Christ: and what an 
encouraging privilege is this! The humanity of Jesus 
is perfect love : the godhead that resides in that human- 
ity is infinite love. Be not faithless, then, but believing ; 
yea, exercise the full assurance of faith, and abound in 
hope, when you call for mercy from the Lord God in 
Christ Jesus. 

Consider the solemnity and security of the oath of 
God. His direction to the prophet was this, "Say 
unto them, ' As I live,' saith the Lord God, e I have 
no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the 
wicked turn from his way and live.'" Because the 
Lord could swear by no greater, he sware by himself: 
and the oath is no less encouraging than this, that he 
would rather save you than destroy you. Only credit 
the oath, and your faith in it will be as wings to your 
soul. You will flee cheerfully to the Lord, for an in- 
terest in his pardoning love. 

Consider the Lord's fidelity to his promises. Take 
one from among a thousand: "The same Lord over 
all is rich unto all that call upon him; for whosoever 
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." 
God is not a man that he should lie. Ask, then, for 
the blessing, resting your soul, with full assurance of 
faith, on the never-failing word. Though the mercy 
tarry, wait for it; it must come, for faithful is he that 
promised. 

Consider the glorious freeness with which mercy is 
given to the seeking sinner. How read we? "With- 
out money, and without price."* This is a hard 
saying to a proud Pharisee, who is ignorant of his own 
vileness, of the Lord's holiness, and of the strictness 
and curse of the divine law; he may plead his good- 
ness and his deservings, but he will plead them before 

* Isaiah lv. i. 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 239 



a jealous and an angry God. But to you who know 
your real character and fearful danger as transgressors, 
the language is cheering and is necessary. You have 
nothing to take in your hand as a consideration ; you 
have ignorance ; you have guilt ; you have an evil heart ; 
you have a depraved nature; you have much spiritual 
misery ; you have absolute weakness. You have these 
things to take with you, and nothing besides. But 
you need not fear. The Lord gives his blessings freely, 
for his own name's sake, and for the sake of his beloved 
and bleeding Son. He gives, not out of compliment 
to man, but because he has a disposition to give: be- 
cause he delighteth in lovingkindness : because he will 
magnify the amazing riches of his grace : because he is 
determined that the blessed Jesus shall see of the 
travail of his soul, and be satisfied. If, then, you are 
athirst, you may come and welcome to the God of 
salvation. You may come with a hard heart, and re- 
ceive a heart of flesh : with great guilt, and receive full 
forgiveness: with much darkness, and receive heavenly 
light : with powerful depravity, and receive more power- 
ful grace: with a load of anguish, and receive beauty 
for ashes. The required fitness is to feel necessity; 
and to be willing to seek and to receive all as a free 
gift, purchased by a Saviours blood, but bestowed, 
without any consideration from the sinner, upon the 
thirsty and the seeking soul. This surely is a proceed- 
ing of bounty; a method of shewing mercy; a display 
of the riches of grace worthy of that God whose ways 
are not as our ways, and whose thoughts are not as 
our thoughts. 

Such is the large and multiplied encouragement, with 
which the God of mercy would beat down the unbelief 
and scatter the fears, and secure the return, and win 
the heart of every one who is crying out from a burdened 



240 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



spirit, "What must I do to be saved V Let the 
humble hear thereof, and be glad; and receive the 
salvation; and then go forth, in the ways of thankful- 
ness and righteousness, declaring what great things God 
hath done for their souls. 

But whilst the most abundant encouragement should 
be spread before the penitent and earnest, necessity is 
also laid upon a minister to give a faithful warning to 
others. There may be many present who are strangers 
to all thirst after spiritual blessings, and to all diligence 
in seeking them. The world and its pleasures, or its 
riches, or its cares, fill your minds, and fix your hearts, 
and leave neither room nor inclination for God and his 
Christ. My brethren, you are spending money for that 
which is not bread, and your labour for that which 
satisfieth not. The objects which you pursue are de- 
ceiving, betraying, destroying you. 

They cannot give you present peace. Your souls 
were formed for God : to contemplate his glory, revealed 
in his works and word : to know him in Christ, as 
your Redeemer, and friend, and portion: to adore him, 
because of his excellence : to love him, because of his 
mercies: and to find a holy happiness in the light of 
his countenance, and in spreading the honour of his 
name. This is the only true blessedness appointed 
of God for the souls which he has created. There- 
fore, anything and everything, which is not the Lord, 
must disappoint your expectation of comfort. Is not 
this true*? Ask your past experience; ask your un- 
satisfied heart. You may be stupified by the wiles 
of the devil ; and you may mistake stupidity for peace. 
You may be rendered giddy by the noise and bustle 
of present things; and you may for a moment imagine 
that giddiness is joy. But get into retirement; com- 
mune with your conscience. Ask yourselves, individu- 



\ 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



241 



ally, the very serious question — "Am I happy*? Do 
I possess what others say they have found, the peace 
of God which passeth all understanding*?" The in- 
quiry, if close and faithful, will convince you that the 
way of peace you have not known. 

The objects which you pursue cannot afford you 
succour in the hours of your anguish. There are few 
sights more affecting than the sight of a mere worldly 
person, overtaken by sickness, adversity, or old age. 
The animal spirits are drooping ; the calamity is piercing, 
and is pressing down the heart; the world can do no 
more; the inward support is nothing; the conviction 
is felt, and is written in a countenance of misery — 
" Vanity of vanities ; all is vanity." And is that worth 
pursuing or possessing, which fails in the hour of 
tribulation; which suffers the soul to sink, unrelieved 
by divine strength; uncheered by one ray of comfort; 
unsupported by the feeblest gospel hope'? Surely, 
yes surely, you are spending money for that which is 
not bread. 

They cannot open prospects of brightness beyond 
the present scene of things. The Scripture speaks of a 
"hope, which entereth into that within the veil," of 
"an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom:" 
of being " absent from the body, and present with the 
Lord." But who are the people that are in such a 
case % Who are the happy beings who can lift up an 
unpresumptuous eye to heaven, and say, "There is my 
reconciled Father, who loves me with an everlasting 
love. There is a Redeemer, who remembered me upon 
his cross, and died for my offences. There is the 
Holy Spirit, who, in love to my soul, has scattered 
my darkness, and renewed my heart, and sealed me as 
a child of God. There is my home, after all the 
storms, and toils, and dangers of my earthly pilgrim- 

G G 



242 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



age V Who are they, I ask, who can use the language, 
and apply to themselves the blessedness *? Not those, 
assuredly, who are living wilfully in transgression, or 
cleaving to the world for comfort. You, my friends, 
cannot send a look into eternity, but your eye shrinks 
from the view, and your soul shudders with appre- 
hension. 

The objects of your pursuit cannot enter with you 
into the eternal world, and give to your immortal soul 
an immortal blessedness. They cannot present you 
before the throne, and say, "Here are they whom we 
have prepared for the kingdom." They cannot number 
you with the saints of God in glory everlasting. They 
cannot shelter you from the terrible sentence which 
will be pronounced upon all who had forgotten God. 
They cannot administer one drop of water to cool your 
tongue, when you are tormented in "that flame." 

Now if the statement which has been laid before 
you be correct : if sin and the world cannot give you 
present peace, nor afford you succour in the hours of 
your sorrow, nor open prospects of brightness beyond 
the grave, nor give to your immortal souls an enduring 
blessedness, nor preserve you from the worm which 
will never die, and from the fire which will never be 
quenched; may I not press a very suitable and a very 
needed scripture upon your consciences " Thus saith 
the Lord of hosts, Consider your ways." Is it wise 
to pursue that which can never profit you % Is it 
wise to rush upon certain disappointment, when you 
want consolation % Is it wise to tread a path of briars, 
and thorns, and misery, and ruin, when you are per- 
mitted and entreated to find rest for your souls in the 
bosom of a redeeming God? Is it wise to engage 
in the service of the devil, whose service is a miserable 
bondage, and whose wages are the bitter pains of the 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 243 



second death? Oh! no. It is a high exploit of 
wickedness ; it is the extremest folly ; it is moral mad- 
ness, and that madness most excessive ; it is the wretched 
conduct of a creature, who, with a capacity for enjoy- 
ing God, and with the means before him of rising up 
to heaven, is satisfied to cling to the earth, and then 
go down to hell. 



244 



SERMON XV. 

THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE EXEMPLIFIED IN 
THE CASE OF DAVID. 

PART V. 



Psalm li. 8, 9, 10. — Make me to hear of joy and gladness, that the 
bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from 
my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean 
heart, God; and renew a right spirit within me. 

If any one perfection of our God should excite deeper 
admiration, and call forth loftier praises, than another, 
perhaps that perfection is Holiness. Holiness in the 
Lord is the infinite love of what is right, and the in- 
finite abhorrence of what is evil. And is not this a 
most lovely perfection % Must it not universally ap- 
pear to be altogether excellent, except in the view of 
those whom sin has blinded, and whom Satan is lead- 
ing captive*? 

The Holiness of God is praised joyfully and con- 
tinually in heaven. "They rest not day and night, 
saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty." And 
they who are trained up, under the discipline of divine 
grace, for the glorious kingdom, will certainly love the 

Lord, BECAUSE HE IS HOLY. 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 245 

This adorable attribute of God is brightly manifested 
in the Law which he gave at Sinai; in the salvation 
accomplished on the cross ; and in the purity of the 
precepts enjoined upon all the redeemed. But we 
may likewise observe its solemn splendour in the con- 
fusion and anguish which he brings even upon his 
own sons and daughters, when they have degraded 
their character and profession by sinning against him. 

We have already considered, somewhat at large, the 
grievous iniquity of David. We learn, from the for- 
mer of the verses which I have read, the painful con- 
sequences to his own soul. "Make me to hear of joy 
and gladness" he says, "that the bones which thou 
hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my 
sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me 
a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within 
me." 

I would direct your attention to three points. 

I. The bitter consequences of departing from God. 

II. The desires of a penitent for a new creation of 
the soul. 

III. The nature of this inward change. 

I. I consider the bitter consequences of departing 
from God. Many indeed decline from a profession of 
religion, and suffer but little anguish. They were 
the stony-ground hearers. They received the word 
with joy : they mingled with serious persons ; they 
learned the language of the children of Zion ; they 
indulged and they expressed hope. But the word was 
not ingrafted in their hearts ; it had not taken root. 
They knew not themselves; they were not humbled; 
they knew nothing of the broken and contrite heart; 
the heart of stone was in their flesh. Hence, they 
had no enduring principle; reproach for the sake of 
Christ made them stagger; in the time of temptation 



246 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

they fell away; they mingled again with the world, 
and learned their works ; they gave up religion without 
a sigh ; they became altogether earthly-minded ; per- 
haps they became persecutors of the people of God; 
and they died stupid and fearless — the servants of satan 
— the heirs of wrath — and they went, like Judas, to 
their own place. This is the sad history and the end 
of many, where the gospel is preached. "Let him 
that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." 

But when the real, converted people of God, through 
some powerful temptation of the world, the flesh, or 
the devil, depart from the Lord, and sin against him, 
the Lord, in his grace and mercy, will make their 
sinning a very hell to their souls. Their wickedness 
will correct them, and their backslidings will reprove 
them : and, like David, they will have to complain of 
broken bones. 

They will suffer present and sore anguish of soul. 
Their conscience will be like the troubled sea, when 
it cannot rest. The fear of the wrath of God will 
weigh heavily upon their hearts. Perhaps they will 
be afraid to close their eyes in sleep, lest they should 
open them in torments. They have sinned away the 
Spirit of God, and his holy consolations; and they 
are left to bewail their folly and their vileness. 

They will be weak and heartless in all spiritual ex- 
ercises. They may attempt, like Samson, to shake 
themselves as in former times ; but their strength is 
gone. The invitations of the word bring them no 
comfort; and the promises seem to afford them no se- 
curity. Their prayers are cold, and cramped, and 
confused. The glory and grace of the Redeemer are 
hidden from their eyes. Their souls are palsied ; the 
hand of faith ceases to be stretched forth : and their 
lips are nearly close? to every spiritual purpose. They 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



247 



can neither speak to God with confidence, nor of 
God with affection, nor for God with zeal for his 
honour. 

They will probably feel some painful effects of their 
baseness, as long as they live. Suppose that the Lord, 
in the aboundings of his mercy, has again visited them 
with the light of his countenance; that they have 
renewed peace of conscience, through the blood of the 
Covenant; and lively affections, through the power of 
the Spirit of God. Yet many and sore calamities may 
be appointed to press upon them. David was par- 
doned: but David had to hear the solemn declaration, 
"The sword shall never depart from thine house." Of 
his offending children, the Lord thus speaks in righte- 
ousness, fe I will visit their offences with the rod, and 
their iniquity with stripes." 

The consideration that the consequences of departing 
from God are wormwood and gall, will suggest the 
following application. 

1. Let us admire the merciful severity of the Lord. 
David said — " That the bones which thou hast broken 
may rejoice." It is God who appoints this anguish in 
the souls of his wandering and sinning people. He 
causes them to pass under the rod; he vexes them 
with his storms ; he visits them with pang after pang, 
until -they are brought to their senses, and renewed 
unto repentance. The means may be painful, but they 
are deeply needed; the medicine is bitter, but the 
health of the soul requires it; — and the wise chastise- 
ments of the Lord will employ the praises of the 
redeemed in the everlasting kingdom. 

My brethren, some of you may have fallen from 
your integrity. You have been the sheep who have 
wandered from the fold of Christ; you have been the , 
ungrateful, who have sinned against knowledge, mercies, 



248 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



and grace. You have lost your comfort and your peace 
in the mazes of folly and transgression. You have felt 
that it is a bitter, as well as an evil, thing, to depart 
from the Lord; you have perhaps suffered every appre- 
hension, short of absolute despair. Bless God that he 
has taken the pains to correct you. Bow to his chas- 
tisements without a murmur. Say with unfeigned 
humiliation, "1 will bear the indignation of the Lord, 
because I have sinned against him." Wait patiently 
upon him for a renewal of his former loving-kindnesses. 
Eeturn unto him with full purpose of heart : and that 
scripture will certainly be fulfilled in your happy ex- 
perience, "1 will heal their backslidings ; I will love 
them freely." 

2. Let those who have continued to walk in upright- 
ness, under a profession of religion, consider what they 
owe to their preserving God. Except the Lord keep 
the city, the watchman waketh but in vain: and un- 
less a believer be succoured by the same defence, he 
would instantly fall, and certainly perish. 

My believing brethren, be not high-minded, but fear. 
You are in an enemy's country. Your heart is treach- 
erous. The snares within you and around you, are 
manifold and perilous. Be watchful and given to 
prayer. Lean not to your own understanding; depend 
not upon past experience and comfort; every day and 
every hour, endeavour to "be strong in the grace that 
is in Christ Jesus." In humility, supplication, and 
faith, proceed in your Christian course, and you will 
certainly endure unto the end, and your rest will be 
glorious. 

3. Though some are restored to peace, after having 
departed from the Lord, yet let none presume. To sin, 
that grace may abound, is a proof of blindness, and 
hardness, and hypocrisy: and an evidence against the 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 249 

unhappy beings, that their " damnation slumbereth 
not." One may be taken, and another may be left. 
Some may be recovered from their wanderings : others 
may be suffered to wander on. Some may be renewed 
unto repentance : others may press forward in the 
rebellious impenitence of their hearts. Some may 
shine eternally in heaven, to the praise of the glory of 
the abounding grace of God ; others may suffer eternally 
in hell, as monuments of his righteous and terrible 
vengeance. I say then again — Let no one presume 
upon mercy, while living in wilful sin. The attempt 
will swell most fearfully the amount of his iniquity, 
and cost him, most probably, his immortal soul. 

4. They who have walked the most uprightly in the 
good ways of God, have much reason to be greatly 
humbled and ashamed. Suppose that you have been 
so kept night and day, as to have given the world no 
just cause of reviling your principles, and of triumph- 
ing in your disgrace ; yet, has not your heart known 
its own bitterness"? Has not the law in your mem- 
bers warred against the law in your mind, and damped 
your ardour, and polluted your souls, and grieved the 
Spirit, and dishonoured the God of your salvation*? 
Would your imaginations, and desires, and motives, and 
purposes, and principles, have always endured the 
scrutinizing eye of God, or even the examination of 
your fellow-creatures'? You reply to the question, by 
shame and confusion of face. Oh! seek to preserve, 
daily and hourly, this humble frame of heart. Let a 
continued sense of the defilement and enmity of in- 
dwelling sin ever keep you low. Let it endear to 
you that merciful Redeemer who shed his blood to 
cleanse you, and who ever liveth to make intercession. 
Let it quicken you to earnest supplication for the per- 
petual supplies of God's sanctifying spirit. Let it 

H H 



250 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

render more and more welcome the thought and the 
hope of that kingdom where sin can never enter, and 
where the souls of the redeemed are as the angels of 
God. 

5. They who have fallen, should instantly betake 
themselves to the Lord for his pardoning and recover- 
ing grace. Thus did David. He did not lie down 
in unbelief, and sullenness, and despondency. He 
would do something more than pore upon the wounds 
which sin had inflicted ; he remembered that there was 
balm in Gilead, and a Physician there. He was fer- 
vent in supplication; he prayed, not only for mercy, 
but to have a sense of that mercy sealed upon his soul. 
He wanted reconciliation, and the comfort of that recon- 
ciliation. "Make me to hear of joy and gladness, 
that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice." 

My brethren, have any of you fallen from God ; 
and are you returning unto him with weeping and suppli- 
cation % After the example of David, you may offer up 
large requests. You may implore forgiveness, and to 
know that you are forgiven ; you may ask to be saved 
from hell, and to enjoy the earnests of heaven. But 
in what way are you to expect this high consolation? 
Not by sudden impulses; not by having the animal 
feelings powerfully excited ; not by supposed lights or 
visions. Look for the rich blessing in the way of the 
Gospel; by seeking to have your inward experience in 
agreement with the word of God. If you find a real 
self-abhorrence, on account of your sins : if you are 
ashamed and grieved that you have dishonoured by 
your iniquity the God of all grace and glory: if you 
are enabled to look afresh, simply to the Lamb of God 
to take away your transgressions; if the Lord should 
give you great tenderness of conscience to avoid sin, 
and the occasions of sin, for the time to come; if he 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 251 

should again implant in your soul the love of his name 
and of his people, and of his ways, and cause, and 
commandments; you will have evidence — solid, scriptural, 
triumphant evidence — that the Lord hath put away your 
sin, and that you shall not die. 

II. I consider the desires of the penitent for a new 
creation of the soul. (( Create in me a clean heart, 
O God, and renew a right spirit within me." 

The travellers in the broad way which leadeth to 
destruction, most generally deny the necessity of this 
transformation of the inner man. Though vanity, or 
worldliness, or habitual iniquity, be marking and defiling 
their whole conduct in the sight of God, yet they will 
doubt, or deny, or excuse, the total corruption of their 
hearts. All the streams are manifestly polluted, but 
they contend that the fountain is pure. A difference 
in opinion and in feeling upon this point, forms one of 
the marks which distinguish the men of the world from 
the people of God. 

Behold a believer, enlightened and blessed by the 
saving operation of heavenly grace. The cloud of 
darkness which hung over his mind, is scattered. The 
veil is taken away; he is revealed to himself. And 
if his views and feelings were embodied in language, 
the language would be the following: — "I have been 
like one in a dream. I fancied myself wise, but I 
was grossly ignorant. I had a high opinion of my 
duties; but they were the mere service of the body. 
No principle of love inspired them: no motive higher 
than selfishness directed them. My goodness was a 
shadow. It was made to consist with a disregard of 
God ; with a neglect of the glorious gospel ; with a base 
indifference towards a dying Redeemer; with the vilest 
ingratitude for mercies vast and many. I have traced 
these streams of evil to the fountain from whence they 



252 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

flowed. They issued from a heart deceitful and wicked : 
from a nature at enmity with the blessed God. And 
though I have been taught to implore the renewing 
influences of the Holy Ghost, my attainments are but 
few and feeble. Their is a law in my members, 
warring against the law in my mind. When I would 
do good, evil is present with me. In-dwelling sin 
harrasses and pains me, mingles with my prayers, 
defiles my duties, damps my praises, and robs my God 
of his due tribute of glory. Oh ! for grace to sanctify 
me wholly, and to strengthen me with strength in my 
soul; that I may enjoy communion with the Lord here 
below, and serve him with a devoted heart, and be 
made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light." 

I ' believe that this language will not imperfectly 
express the views and experience of that person who 
is truly converted unto God. He has attained to self- 
knowledge; this self-knowledge has abased him. It 
has taught him that an outward religion will do nothing 
for him; it has shewn him the necessity of an inward 
and an entire change; it has led him into the true 
meaning of our Lord's declaration to Nicodemus — 
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be 
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 

My brethren, there are few questions more necessary 
and trying than the following. What do you know, 
experimentally, of the fallen and degraded condition of 
human nature % Has a practical acquaintance with 
your deep depravity, subdued your loftiness of spirit, 
and made you, like the poor publican, ashamed to lift 
up your eyes to heaven ? Has it brought you to your 
knees, to pray most sincerely and often for the powerful 
renewing of the Spirit of God ? If all this be the 
true and habitual experience of your souls, your 
unfeigned humiliation and your hearty earnestness in 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



253 



prayer are undoubted evidences that you are journeying 
to the kingdom. As to the first evidence, it is written 
in the word of truth, " Blessed are the poor in spirit 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And as to the 
second evidence, it is written again, " For whosoever 
shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved." 

But, on the contrary, if you do not know and feel 
that depravity has tainted and poisoned every spring of 
thought and action within you * has made you loath- 
some in the eyes of the infinitely holy God ; and has 
left you without help or hope in yourselves; you can 
know nothing truly of the merciful and ample remedy 
of the Gospel. Nor can you have part or lot in that 
rich inheritance of the redeemed, "But ye are washed, 
but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name 
of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." 

III. I proceed to consider the nature of this inward 
change. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
and renew a right spirit within me." By a "clean 
heart" we are to understand a heart delivered from 
the dominion of sin, and from the love of evil: a heart 
which hates, and which most earnestly prays against, 
everything which is defiling. By a "right spirit" we 
are to understand a disposition of the soul which is 
suitably affected towards God and man. It implies a 
state of the mind in which the Lord delights, and 
which prepares for the enjoyment of his presence in 
glory. Let us consider a few particulars in which 
this right spirit principally consists. 

1. A right spirit is a spirit of humility. It is a 
temper of the heart, brought down to our situation as 
creatures and sinners. The former loftiness of a be- 
liever renewed in the spirit of his mind is laid low. 
He beholds his transgressions, great, and multiplied, 
and aggravated, against the glorious God. He can 



254 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



scarcely imagine that one so very perverse and so abom- 
inably ungrateful as he has been, treads the earth 
which the Lord has created, In his best moments 
he is ashamed and confounded. He feels and owns 
that in himself he is nothing, and he is willing to be 
indebted to divine grace for everything. He is heartily 
disposed to give the glory where the glory is due ; and 
that the crown should be placed on the head of him 
who is "worthy." This humbled spirit is the right 
spirit. It suits a transgressor well. It becomes one 
who, if he had been rewarded according to his iniquities, 
would have been lifting up his eyes in torments. Do 
you possess this right spirit of humility 4 ? Without it, 
profession, and gifts, and supposed attainments, are no- 
thing. It is the Lord's universal rule of judging, that 
" the poor in spirit are blessed ;" it is the Lord's 
universal rule in acting, to exalt the humble, and to 
abase those who exalt themselves. 

2. A right spirit is a spirit of submission to the 
righteousness of God: to that righteousness which he 
has appointed and provided for the justification of the 
ungodly : to that method which he has ordained to save 
souls from death, and to bring them to eternal glory. 
He has given his beloved Son, to be his "Salvation 
to the end of the earth." But here the pride and 
perverseness of man madly prevail. They reject the 
chosen and the tried stone ; they will build upon other 
foundations. They turn aside from the only way to 
the Father; they will walk in paths of their own 
devising. But they build at the peril of their souls; 
they walk to their own destruction. 

He who is of a right spirit is rescued from the fatal 
delusion. He says, " I am ignorant, but God is wise. 
He knew, when he planned and purposed to saye the 
guilty, what was the good and the right way. I bow 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 255 

to his will. I receive Christ Jesus the Lord, as my 
Saviour. I would glory in his cross. Living and 
dying, I would say with all my powers, and Oh that 
I may say it with a true and a strong faith — ■ In whom 
I have redemption through his blood, even the forgive- 
ness of sins.' And my heart is glad, and my glory 
rejoiceth, that while my soul can be saved, the perfec- 
tions of my God can all be magnified, and provision 
be made for singing eternally of my most merciful 
Redeemer, that he is worthy f to receive blessing, and 
glory, and honour, and power.' " He who can use 
this language from the heart, is of a right spirit. He 
is of one mind with God. He sets to his seal, 
that the Lord is wise, and holy, and gracious, and 
faithful. He receives the unspeakable gift. He will 
be joyful for ever, in the great salvation. 

My brethren, examine yourselves. Examine the 
movements of your souls, as to this trying and turning 
point. Is there a disposition formed within you, by 
the author and finisher of faith, to welcome, to rest 
upon, to rejoice in, Jesus Christ, as the only and all- 
sufficient Redeemer *? If so, Jesus is a Redeemer to 
you. But if Christ be slighted; if his salvation 
be neglected; if it do not awaken your desires, and 
secure your entire dependence, and influence your hearts, 
you have not the right spirit; and you are at this 
moment far from God, and under the curse of his 
broken law. 

3. A right spirit is a spirit of thankfulness. What 
abundant and multiplied causes have we, for adoring 
and constant gratitude! We are placed in the midst 
of a Creation, teeming with wonders, and proclaiming 
the Creator's goodness ; we are guarded and nourished 
by a Providence, ever watchful and ever kind; we are 
permitted and entreated to become partakers of a Re- 



256 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 



demption, which angels desire to look into,, and which 
the songs of eternity will celebrate. Though these 
vast and various evidences of the wisdom, and loving- 
kindness, and grace, of God, are unnoticed and unfelt 
by a world which lieth in wickedness; they are not 
unnoticed and unfelt by him who is of a right spirit. 
He is, in some degree, affected. In the works around 
him he would be still beholding and enjoying the glory 
of the Lord. In the care and the bounty which preserve 
his life, he can see the hand and the heart of God. 
He recollects that amidst the wreck of many a careless 
fellow-sinner, sinking down into a ruined eternity, he 
was marvellously spared. He still beholds a miserable 
multitude crowding forward in the broad path; while 
he, through grace, is pressing on in the narrow way 
which leadeth unto life. He sees the " many" choosing 
the world as a portion, while he is choosing Christ. 
He perceives some forsaking the Saviour, and drawing 
back unto perdition ; while he is kept by the power of 
God, and can say with increased affection, "Lord, to 
whom shall I go"? Thou hast the words of eternal 
life." He sees a large proportion of his fellow-creatures 
around him, eager, as it were, to obtain a place in 
hell, while he has good hope, through grace, that he 
shall rejoice with the saints of the Most High, in glory 
everlasting. These views excite his thankfulness : and 
a thankful spirit is a right spirit. My brethren, do 
you know anything of the power of that principle which 
excited David's heart to exclaim, "Bless the Lord, O 
my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy 
name." Without a disposition to adore God for his 
perfections, and to praise him for his mercies, heaven 
could not be enjoyed, and heaven must not be expected. 

4. A right spirit is a spirit of godly fear. It is a 
disposition to shrink from the temptation of offending 



THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 257 

God. It is the fear of a loyal subject who would not 
disobey and disgrace the king whom he reveres; it is 
the fear of an obedient child, who would not grieve 
and wound the parent who bears him upon his heart. 
This Sovereign, and this Parent, is the Lord God to 
that person who has returned unto him in penitence 
and prayer, to receive his mercy and grace through 
Jesus Christ; and that person, when his principles are 
in exercise, will surely abhor the thought of insulting 
and dishonouring his heavenly King, and his most 
gracious Father. Do you possess this right spirit — 
this spirit of godly fear*? Are you watching, both 
against open and against secret iniquity 4 ? Are you 
sending up earnest and persevering supplication, "Oh! 
put thy fear into my heart, that I may not sin against 
thee*" 

5. A right spirit is a spirit of love. God is love. 
Whether we consider his care over all the creatures of 
his hands ; or his bounty, which is supplying the wants 
of all who live; or his patience towards a world which 
has cast off his yoke, and rebelled against his throne; 
or his compassion, which has provided a wonderful 
salvation, and through the wonderful means of the 
humiliation and death of his equal Son; or the mercy, 
which passes by all the transgressions of all who believe 
in Jesus — we behold nothing less than so many modi- 
fications, and so many evidences, that God is pure 
benevolence and perfect love. He, then, who has 
received the atonement, and has received the new heart, 
will certainly possess, notwithstanding the counteractions 
of remaining darkness and depravity, the disposition of 
love; of love to God the Father, for his glorious excel- 
lences ; of love to the eternal Son, for his redeeming mercy ; 
of love to the Holy Ghost, for his enlightening and 
converting grace ; of love to the people of Christ, because 

1 1 



258 THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 

they are the purchase of his blood, and partakers of 
his image; of a generous love to mankind at large, 
because they possess immortal souls, and must either 
enjoy eternal life, or endure the bitter pains of everlast- 
ing death. Do we possess, though with much lamented 
imperfection, this disposition of holy love % Without it, 
though we could speak with the tongues of men and 
of angels; and though we had faith, so that we could 
remove mountains ; we should only become as sounding 
brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 

Such are the outlines of that "right spirit," which 
David, in the language of the text, so earnestly im- 
plored ; and which the Lord alone can renew within us. 
Not an action which is upright, not a word which is 
spiritual, not a thought which is holy, but has for its 
author "the God of all grace." It is the work of his 
power ; and it is his promise in the covenant, to put 
his laws into the mind, and to write them in the heart. 

The whole of this subject teaches us 

The necessity of prayer. All grace is treasured 
up in Christ; grace, to unite the soul to the Saviour, 
to strengthen for every suffering and service, and to 
bestow a holy likeness unto God. And prayer is 
the appointed channel of communication between the 
Redeemer's grace and the sinner's heart. It follows, 
therefore, that they who neglect to pray, with the 
spirit and with the understanding, must continue "tied 
and bound with the chain of their sins," and will 
perish for ever. 



[Mr. Housman proceeded no further with the fifty-first Psalm : at least no 
more sermons in exposition of it were published, and I have found none 
among his manuscripts. — R. F. H.] 



259 



SERMON XVI. 

SELF-EXAMINATION.* 



II. Cor. xiii. 5. — Examine yourselves. 

The rich and the poor, the prosperous and the af- 
flicted, the flattered and the despised, meet together in 
two of the most momentous circumstances which it can 
enter into the heart of man to conceive. In treading 
the journey of life, they go through very different 
paths: but these paths, however unlike each other now, 
are infallibly leading, with equal certainty, to an hour 
of death and a day of judgment. In the grave, all 
distinctions will have ceased; in the Day of Judgment, 
one distinction will survive. It will be the distinction 
between those who had received, and loved, and fol- 
lowed, the Redeemer of souls; and those who had 
supremely minded earthly things — their thoughts and 
hearts being habitually turned away from "God mani- 
fest in the flesh;" the appointed Saviour and Refuge; 
the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

Under these views, with the consciousness that life 
is uncertain, and death near, and eternity the all of 
an immortal, the words of the text should speak to 
us with a powerful voice. Seriously considered, and 



* Preached at St. Anne's in 1825, and now printed for the first time. 



260 



SELF-EXAMINATION. 



faithfully applied, they may, under the blessing of the 
Spirit of God, teach us, whether, in our case, to die 
would be gain, and to rise at the last day our entrance 
into life eternal. 

I. Let us begin the inquiry by faithfully examining 
whether we are seriously affected with the serious 
concerns of our souls. 

We were born into a world fallen from God, and 
were ourselves fallen, even as others. We have not 
a power or affection of the mind which is not tainted 
with evil — and every taint of evil the righteous Lord 
abhorreth, and his holy Law condemneth; and he is 
shortly coming, to sit in judgment upon the whole. 
We are watched and hated by our adversary the 
Devil, who is terrible in malice, in wiles, and in 
power; by an adversary who seems always aiming at 
two grand and horrible designs — to dishonour God 
through our disobedience, and then, for our disobedi- 
ence to bring us to destruction. We are likewise 
passing through a World, of which Satan is called 
the "God," and which is therefore ever prone to per- 
plex or to entangle us. The time is short. The 
fashion of this world is passing fast away. We are 
not certain that we shall live an hour ; but we are 
certain that if we die in our sins, our souls will perish. 
Are we then, under these circumstances of great danger 
and of everlasting importance, serious and in earnest 
that we may have a safe journey through this perilous 
wilderness, and a joyful entrance into the kingdom of 
God w ? Oh! let us all remember, that to be careless 
about our approaching eternity, is to be more than 
mad; that to trifle with those souls for which the 
Son of God shed his blood as a ransom, is to be 
worse than wicked. It is to sin beyond the Devil's 
extent in sinning ; for he never hurled back upon God 



SELF-EXAMINATION. 



261 



the insult of indifference under any offer of grace and 
pardon. It was reserved for man to exhibit before 
an astonished universe the horrid sight of a creature, 
miserable in sin, and deserving to perish for sin, pour- 
ing contempt upon redemption by making light of it. 
This is the crying abomination ; this is the crowning 
act of iniquity; this is the sin of sins! Oh! think 
of what the Gospel is, and then think what it must 
be to reject it! It is a revelation of most amazing 
mercy and glory. Angels desire to look into it; and 
perhaps at every view are well nigh overwhelmed with 
wonder and with joy. Oh! how great is the salva- 
tion which the Gospel publishes ! It is great in its 
condescension ; for it stoops to man, and to man in a 
state of sin and rebellion against God, condemned for 
his iniquities, and unable to help himself. It is great 
in its offers ; it offers its mercies freely and fully, and 
it offers them to the meanest and the vilest, yea to 
every creature. It is great as to the way in which 
its blessings are offered; they are offered, through the 
obedience unto death of God's equal Son. It is great 
in its promises. It assures those who receive Christ 
Jesus the Lord, that their iniquities shall not be 
mentioned against them; that they are the sons and 
daughters of the Lord Almighty; that they shall have 
the Holy Spirit as their guest, their guide, their com- 
forter, their strength ; that all things shall work 
together for their good — joys and sorrows, life and 
death, things present and things to come; that here 
they shall be refreshed with the love of Christ, and 
hereafter be filled with joy on beholding his full glory. 
This is the Gospel; yet this Gospel how many of us 
have undervalued, despised, and presumptuously rejected! 
Oh ! may the Spirit of the Most High rest upon us, and 
give us grace to be earnest in accepting the blessed gift ! 



262 



SELF-EXAMINATION. 



II. Let us examine whether we possess true repent- 
ance for our sins. 

We are the creatures of God, surrounded by his 
presence, spoken to by his providences and his word, 
and drawing every breath through his patience and 
power: yet, times beyond number, have we not disre- 
garded him as if he were no God 4 ? We live upon 
his bounty ; for the earth is his, and he daily gives us 
a portion of its fulness. We are always receiving of 
his loving-kindnesses. Our friends are his gift: our 
every comfort is of his bestowing. He sends us health ; 
or he makes our bed in our sickness ; or he checks the 
disease, and restores us to the enjoyment of life. All 
these things conspire to tell us, that the Lord, in his 
goodness to his wide creation, has been mindful of us. 
But ah! have we been mindful of him? If all his 
bounties, and mercies, and deliverances, could be written 
in a book, and if the whole could be seen by us at 
one glance, should we behold written opposite to every 
bounty, and every mercy, and every deliverance — 
"They were warmly grateful; they rendered 

AGAIN ACCORDING TO THE BENEFIT ?" Oh! no. If 

the pen were in the hand of the faithful and heart- 
searching God, what multiplied pages of the book 
would be blackened from the top to the bottom with 
this condemning sentence — " Neither were thank- 
ful." 

Again. The Lord God (I cannot remind you too 
often) has sent his Son into the world to die for sinners. 
He has sent out, for his Son's sake, a kind invitation 
to the rebellious, to be reconciled to himself; and he 
proclaims, to every seeking soul, all-sufficient grace for 
every purpose of a safe pilgrimage through this world 
of trial, and for every purpose of preparation for the 
rest which remaineth to his people. How have these 



SELF-EXAMINATION. 



263 



glad tidings of free mercy — -how have these gra- 
cious offers of an eternal deliverance — been received 4 ? 
Has the heart daily glowed with an adoring affection, 
and daily been the throne where the God of redemption 
reigned 4 ? Let conscience speak out. Has it not been 
as I said before % Have we not — all to some extent ; 
some to an absolutely frightful extent — been verily guilty 
of the monstrous sinfulness of having disregarded, in- 
sulted, and dishonoured, a persevering, a bountiful, and 
a forgiving God *? The exhortation returns ; let us 
examine ourselves whether we possess true repentance 
for the abominable evil. Let us remember the declara- 
tion of him who is shortly coming to be our judge — 
" Except ye repent, ye shall perish;" and, in connexion 
with this solemn statement, let us recollect a cheering 
truth, that Christ is exalted to give repentance. Here 
are motives at once for diligence and for trust. Christ 
has commanded us to repent; and Christ will give the 
repentance which we need. He is not a man that he 
should lie; he is faithful that promiseth. 

III. Let us examine whether we have obtained 
mercy from God, to pardon all our transgressions. 

Forgiveness is offered on the part of God ; and 
offered with a freeness and a fulness altogether divine. 
But forgiveness, to be a personal blessing, must be 
personally sought and obtained. Atonement by the 
blood of Christ is declared to be a ransom for all; 
but the atonement must be received by the actual re- 
liance of the heart upon it, or the wrath of God will 
abide on the guilty soul. This is a matter of vast 
moment. Mere notions, however correct, will not do 
here. It is heart-work that is required. The atone- 
ment, I repeat, must be received by the actual reliance 
of the heart upon it. It is the heart that must be 
convinced ; it is the heart that must apply ; it is the 



264 



SELF-EXAMINATION. 



heart that must depend. The examination, then, which 
we are called to make into our state individually, ac- 
cording to the evidence of the Bible, and the testimony 
of experience, is this — " Have we peace with God, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ'?" If we have, all is 
safe for a better world; if we have not, all is in 
danger. If we have, all dispensations will be sanctified, 
and sorrow will soon be turned into joy; if we have 
not, prosperity will be a snare, and the awful threaten- 
ing will be inherited — "I will curse their blessings." 
If we have, our companions through the world will be 
the excellent of the earth, and the angels of God; if 
we have not, our companions will be, our own tyrannising 
depravity — the wretched multitude who are crowding 
on in the broad path — and the prince of the power of 
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of 
disobedience. If we have, the everlasting doors will 
be lifted up to receive us when death has done its 
office; if we have not, that Scripture will have a 
terrible fulfilment — "And hell from beneath is moved 
to meet him at his coming." If all this be a true 
and scriptural statement, the whole world surely appears 
as insignificant as the toys of children, when compared 
with the inquiry — "Have we peace with God, through 
our Lord Jesus Christ 4 ?" If we have seen our sins, 
and our condemnation by the Law ; and if we have 
discovered that there is a sufficiency in the obedience 
and death of the Son of God, to procure our recon- 
ciliation and acceptance; and if we include holiness 
and a deliverance from the power of sin, in our thoughts 
of that salvation which we long for; and if qm very 
souls are engaged in making application to the Eedeemer, 
and in relying on his work and promise ; then have we 
the faith which justifies, and the mercy which endureth 
for ever. If we are building on any other foundation 



SELF-EXAMINATION. 



265 



than that which God has laid; or if we are satisfied 
with a mere notion concerning a Saviour, without dis- 
positions and supplications ascending up to him; then, 
as to any actual deliverance, we are without Christ, 
and we are yet in our sins. 

IY. Let us examine ourselves whether the love of 
Christ be implanted in our souls. 

The love of God, and the love of Christ, are sub- 
stantially the same; for God is in Christ, and Jesus 
and the Father are one. The love of Christ is as 
essential to salvation as the pardon of sin. It forms 
no part of the purchase-price of salvation, for it is 
written — "In whom we have redemption through his 
blood;''' but still the love of Christ in the heart is in- 
dispensable, and it is indispensable on three accounts. 

1. It is the true motive of real Christian action. 
"Simon, son of Jonas, lowest thou meV "Feed my 
sheep ;" " feed my lambs." 

2. It is the only principle which can give a relish 
and desire for his cause and glory. 

Hear the apostle; — "For the love of Christ con- 
straineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died 
for all, then were all dead; and that he died for all, 
that they which live should not henceforth live unto 
themselves, but unto him which died for them, and 
rose again." 

3. It is the ruling affection which gives a taste and 
a meetness for the joys and glories of Heaven. 

V And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many 
angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the 
elders; and the number of them was ten thousand 
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands ; saying, 
with a loud voice — "Worthy is the Lamb that was 
slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and 
strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.' " 

K K 



266 



SELF-EXAMINATION. 



If such be the necessity of love to Christ, as the 
spring of all holiness in this world, and of all spiritual 
enjoyment in the next, then we should examine our- 
selves, with seriousness, impartiality, and prayer, whether 
this high and blessed affection be ours. If it be, we 
have sure and joyful evidence that we are " saved in 
the Lord with an everlasting salvation." If it be not 
ours, let us hear our sentence and tremble ; — " If any 
man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Ana- 
thema, Maranatha." 

V. Once more. Let us examine ourselves whether 
we are prepared to die in confidence and comfort. 

Death bears a very different message to different 
characters. He calls the faithful 'pilgrim to cease 
from his toil, and to enter into the rest of his Heavenly 
Father. He calls the good soldier of Jesus Christ to 
put off his armour, to hear a "well done," and to 
receive a crown. He calls the mourner for sin to 
come up to Heaven, where all tears will be wiped 
away; where the humbled soul will be exalted to a 
throne ; where he who had truly received Christ will 
shine eternally with the robe of the Redeemer's righte- 
ousness upon him — with the Redeemer's image reflected 
from within him — with the Redeemer's unchanging love 
surrounding him on every side, and blessing him with 
all the omnipotence of God. 

The message of death to others is a fearful message. 
He calls the neglecter of salvation to mourn that his 
harvest is past, his summer ended, and his soul not 
saved. He calls the trifler with eternity to give in a 
very serious account of his abused talents. He calls 
the lover and follower of this present world to answer 
unto God for his idolatry. He calls him who is still 
in his sins to receive the bitter wages, even death. 

The solemn inquiry, then, returns — Are we prepared 



SELF-EXAMINATION. 



267 



to die in confidence and comfort % Let us pursue this 
inquiry honestly, impartially, and scripturally, through- 
out the day: and let this be our very last inquiry just 
before we close our eyes to rest; — "If, instead of 
sleeping, we should die this night, should we be saved, 
or should we be lost 4 ?" 



268 



SERMON XVII. 

NONE BUT CHRIST* 



I. Cor. i. 23. — We preach Christ Crucified. 

And wherefore, it may be asked, are you always 
preaching Christ crucified'? I answer — for five reasons. 

1. Because I am instructed to do so by the example 
of the Apostles. "And daily in the Temple and in 
every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus 
Christ." "For I determined not to know anything 
save Jesus Christ and him crucified." 

2. Because mighty is the promised effect : it is the 
power of God unto salvation. "And I, if I be lifted 
up, will draw all men unto me." 

3. Because I am firmly persuaded that every other 
attempt to raise a fallen, to sanctify an unholy, and to 
save a ruined world, proves vain. 

4. Because I have found, in the course of a long 
experience, that it can calm a guilty conscience, and 
break the power of evil habits, and win an alienated 
heart back unto God. 

5. Because a view of Christ crucified gives, what 
nothing else can give, comfort in the dark valley of 

* Preached at St Anne's, on Good Friday, 1825, and now printed for the 
first time. 



NONE BUT CHRIST. 



269 



the shadow of death, and a preparation of soul for the 
songs and the joys of Heaven. 

Let us turn to the fifteenth chapter of the first 
epistle to the Corinthians, and read the third and the 
fourth verses. <e For I delivered unto you, first of all, 
that which I also received, how that Christ died for 
our sins according to the scriptures ; and that he was 
buried, and that he rose again the third day, according 
to the scriptures." 

The apostle Paul was a man of zeal. He glowed 
with the love of his Redeemer; and he went forth to 
bear his name, and to make known his mercy, to an 
ignorant and a perishing world. He was a man of 
courage. The prospects of persecution, and of bonds, 
and of a violent death, could not divert him from his 
career of labour in the cause of the kingdom of Heaven. 
The language of his heart, and of his lips, and of his life, 
was one and the same — " None of these things move me" 
He was likewise a man of wisdom. The blessed " Light 
of the world" had poured a full blaze of divine light 
into his mind ; and he knew how to begin and to pro- 
ceed, so as best to bring glory to God, and redemption 
to souls. Look at the words we have just read, and 
see how his wisdom operated when he opened his 
commission of grace to the people of Corinth. " For 
I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also 
received, how that Christ died for our sins according 
to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he 
rose again the third day, according to the scriptures." — 
With the death and resurrection of Jesus, and with their 
consequences upon the state, dispositions, and character, 
of those who truly receive the Gospel, he began, and 
continued, and closed his ministry. 

The sacrifice of the Son of God, and his triumph 



270 



NONE BUT CHRIST. 



over death and the grave,, are old subjects, but they 
are grand ones; and if a ray from heaven does but 
shine into our minds, and a savour of heavenly things 
does but touch our souls, there will be, notwithstanding 
their oldness, something new perceived, something 
powerful experienced, something delightful enjoyed. 
May the God of all compassion give the increase! 
I would consider two general points. 

I. A very solemn mercy; " Christ died for our 
sins." 

II. The many important lessons which this wonder- 
ful circumstance teaches. 

I. I consider, agreeably to the proposed arrangement, 
a very solemn mercy ; " Christ died for our sins." 

What is sin 4 ? What is every sin, whether in the 
life, or in the heart? It is a resistance of the will 
of God; it is a trampling upon his righteous law; it 
is the creature spurning far from him the yoke of the 
Creator ; it is the requital of neglect and insult, for loving- 
kindnesses without number; it is a mere atom of ex- 
istence, lifting up the banner of rebellion against the 
government and throne of the great and everlasting 
God. But how speaketh the pure and divine 
law to the offender? — "Thou art under the curse." 
What came upon the sinners of Heaven? They 
were cast down to hell; they were stripped of their 
robes of light, and delivered into chains of darkness. 
And what saith the Bible, concerning our transgres- 
sing race? — "All the world is become guilty before 
God." If you could take the wings of the morning, 
and flee to the remotest parts of the earth, you 
would not find one in your flight who had not 
sinned against God; you would not find one whom his 
eternal law had not condemned. Ah! why is not the 
sentence of death executed upon every transgressor ? 




NONE BUT CHRIST. 



271 



Why is he not sent at the very moment, from the 
work of sinning to the just wages of suffering and 
despair % The Gospel replies : — Jesus died. Without 
shedding of blood is no remission ; but blood was shed ; 
and whose blood 4 ? Hear the Apostle, speaking of the 
privileges of the Jews ; — " Of whom, as concerning the 
flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for 
ever; Amen." But wherefore was this wonderful agony 
to be sustained % Wherefore was this precious blood 
to be poured forth % The Bible explains the mystery. 
Jesus suffered as a substitute ; that is, he suffered, that 
others might not suffer. He endured the curse, that 
the curse might be removed from those whom, had he 
not endured it, it would have been crushing to all 
eternity. He suffered for sins, the just for the unjust. 
This is, in a few words, the doctrine of atonement; 
and atonement, by the blood of Immanuel, is the 
glory, yea the substance of the Gospel, and the triumph 
of the wisdom and the grace of God. It shews him 
to be just, and yet a justifier ; it covers sin with in- 
famy, and yet covers and beautifies the penitent and 
believing sinner with the robe of righteousness and 
salvation. What marvellous mercy ! Here is indeed 
love which passeth knowledge ! It is the richest and 
the largest exercise of the richest and the largest love ! 

II. Having briefly considered a very solemn mercy, 
I proceed to consider the many important lessons which 
this wonderful circumstance teaches. 

Bedemption by the blood of the Son of God, teaches 
us, in the first place, our true character. Many sup- 
pose themselves, as it were, upon terms with God. 
They imagine they have some claim upon his favour. 
They will not own, they do not feel, that in them- 
selves they are lost sinners. Let such look to the 
Cross. Jesus was in agony and was dying, not on 



272 



NONE BUT CHRIST. 



his own account, but for the sake of others. He was 
bearing the sin of many; he was bearing your sin, if 
ever you are saved. Hear the quaint but striking 
language of the holy Ambrose: — "Oh! what is that 
heavy cross which the Saviour is bearing to Mount 
Calvary % My sins. What is that crown of thorns 
on the head of Christ 4 ? My sins. What is that 
nail in his right hand, and that other in his left hand*? 
My sins. Oh! what is that spear in the side of 
Christ *? My sins. With a spiritual eye I see no other 
engine tormenting Christ ; no other Pilate, Herod, Annas, 
Caiphas, condemning Christ; no other soldiers, officers, 
Jews or Gentiles, putting Christ to death — but only my 
sins." What, then, is your true character, when weighed 
in the balances of God*? It is that of sinners, of 
rebels, of criminals condemned to die, of transgressors 
whom God might justly have sent, long since, to an 
eternal ruin. My brethren — when once we are brought 
into a near contact with the Cross of Jesus, through 
the power of a close and fixed meditation, how quickly 
is the flimsiness of self-complacency torn away! We 
feel that we are drawing every breath through mere 
and marvellous mercy ! We see ourselves covered with 
the deformity of sin ; and we should see ourselves on 
the brink of an endless perishing, if we did not hear 
the Saviour speaking from Calvary — "Look unto me, 
and be ye saved." Pride surely was never made for 
man. 

Redemption by the blood of the eternal Son, teaches, 
secondly, the value of immortal souls. Did Jesus die 6 ? 
Did he shed his blood to redeem mankind*? Was that 
blood the blood of one of whom it has been said that 
he was "God manifest in the flesh" 6 ? Then what is 
the worth of a soul 6 ? It cannot be spoken. An 
archangel's tongue would falter under the vast subject; 



NONE BUT CHRIST. 



273 



an archangel's comprehension would bend beneath the 
attempt to understand it. But the Cross is always 
echoing the language of our Lord — ' ' What shall it profit a 
man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul ?" 

The death of Christ teaches, in the third place, the 
wisdom of examining whether the redemption which it 
effected has been brought home to us. The blood of 
protection has been shed; but has the blood been 
applied? Refuge from wrath has been provided; but 
has the Refuge been fled unto? A Foundation has 
been laid — sufficient to bear up a sinking world; but 
has the Foundation been rested on with the reliance of 
the whole soul? 

My dear brethren — let these inquiries be serious and 
frequent. Our hearts are deceitful; our great enemy 
has many snares; and whether we be saved or lost is 
a solemn concern to each of us. What, then, is our 
state at the present moment? Is it a condition of 
unpardoned sin, or of experienced salvation? Is it a 
condition at which angels are rejoicing with a holy 
delight ; or a condition at which Satan is exulting with 
a malignant joy? 

But let the inquiries be more particular. Are we 
delivered from stupidity and self-confidence? Have we 
seen that wrath is coming, and will certainly overwhelm 
every impenitent sinner? Are we humbled for our 
offences ? Have our hearts and our hopes been really 
directed towards the Lamb of God which taketh away 
the sin of the world? Are we sincerely and often 
coming unto him, that he will save us, not only from 
hell, but from our sins ; from the love and the power 
of every one of them, to the love and service of God? 
If this simplicity of humble and obedient faith be our 
experience, we have solid evidence that the Redeemer 
of sinners is our Redeemer; that he had us in his 



274 



NONE BUT CHRIST. 



view, that he bore us upon his heart, when he hung 
upon the Cross; that he there paid the costly price of 
our deliverance from future punishment, and of our 
admission into Paradise — to be there with him, and 
with him for ever. What a Eedemption ! How free ! 
— how full! — how wonderful! — how everlasting! To 
use the language of a pious man — "It would weary 
the arm of an angel to write down all its wonders." 
Let the astonishing truth live in our memories and our 
hearts — that "when Jesus had overcome the sharpness 
of death, he opened the kingdom of heaven to all 
believers." The gates are still open. May we all 
crowd in, and bear a part in the sublime and never- 
ceasing chorus — "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." 

Redemption by the blood of Christ teaches, in the 
fourth place, that every hindrance is moved out of the 
way, in the approach of a sinner unto God for pardon 
and peace. When Jesus died, the veil of the temple 
was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. That 
veil had concealed the Mercy-Seat; but in the awful 
convulsion which accompanied and gave such terrific 
emphasis to the expiring groans of the Saviour, the 
veil was rent, and the Mercy-Seat laid open to the 
view. Some of you, my friends, may be drooping under 
great fearfulness of spirit. You see your sins to be many 
and aggravated, and your danger to be immensely great. 
You long to be saved — yea, and in the Lord's way; 
but salvation seems afar off. Was the rending of the 
veil at the crucifixion of the Son of God, an accidental 
thing? Ah! — was it not permitted and appointed to 
tell you that there is nothing now to prevent your 
coming to the Mercy-Seat of the Most High God, if 
you are willing to come, through the blood of atonement % 
But if you cannot receive comfort from this typical 
encouragement — though types are a part of the language 



NONE BUT CHRIST. 



275 



of God — can you credit the plain unfigured declarations 
of his ever-faithful word"? That part of divine revela- 
tion to which I have often, and would now, affectionately 
refer you, is so beautifully clear, and so astonishingly 
full and strong, that nothing but the strangest unbelief 
can prevent you from leaving this house of prayer, 
rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. The Apostle 
Paul informs us that he and his fellow-ministers were 
sent into the world upon a particular errand ; they were 
to execute a commission; — and what was it*? They 
were to be the mouth of the Lord to his rebellious 
creatures; they were to echo what he was continually 
saying — "Be ye reconciled to God." Of the Lord's 
willingness to be reconciled to you, there can be no 
doubt; he has said it, and he is not a man that he 
should lie. The question is simply this — Are you 
willing to be reconciled to Mm? — to be saved by the 
blood of his Son from a merited condemnation 4 ? — to be 
saved by his grace from all hardness of heart*? — and 
to be saved by his Spirit from the love of the world, 
and from the love of evil 4 ? If you possess this wil- 
lingness, all difficulty is over. Pray to see the grace ; 
to come with your soul's inclination — with the entire 
consent of your soul — to the blood of sprinkling; and 
to look for the fulfilment of the glorious promise — " I 
will give to him that is athirst, of the Fountain of the 
water of life freely." 

Lastly — redemption by Jesus Christ teaches the 
amazing lengths, and breadths, and depths, and heights, 
of his love; and especially towards those who believe. 
He suffered — the just for the unjust. We have all 
been unjust; we have robbed God; we have robbed 
him — times beyond calculation, and to a degree most 
horrible — of our thoughts, our affections, our time, our 
service. We have not merely been unjust, in robbing 



276 



NONE BUT CHRIST. 



God of his glory, by leaving undone what we ought 
to have done; but we have been still more shamefully 
unjust by actually dishonouring him; by positive resis- 
tance to his will; by a dislike of his law — his govern- 
ment — Himself. Yet, for characters like these, (for by 
nature there is no difference) the sacrifice of God's 
eternal and equal Son has been effected. And, my 
brethren, if you have repented of sin, and have fled 
for refuge to the Saviour, that Saviour loved you in 
your wretchedness, and gave himself for you, that you 
might be blessed for ever. Oh ! — keep this Kedeemer, 
and this love, always in your view; and what is there 
that you would not sacrifice to the honour of such a 
Saviour 5 ? What is there that you would not do, that 
you might be with him, and enjoy him, and magnify 
him, throughout the countless ages of eternity'? 

Think for a moment of the madness and the ruin of 
neglecting so great salvation! A neglect may appear 
a trifle, since it is not clothed with any visible and gross 
blackness in the eyes of men. But how must it appear 
in the sight of God? — in the sight of the Father, 
who put forth his love to an infinite stretch, when he 
gave his Son to suffer; in the sight of Jesus, who 
submitted to be wounded, and bruised, and put to death, 
for the iniquities of the rebellious ; in the sight of the 
Eternal Spirit, who delights to apply the unspeakable 
salvation*? And how must it appear in the sight of 
the neglecters themselves, when conscience becomes 
truly awakened ; when the horrors of a death-bed are 
accumulating ; and when they are placed, in the Day of 
Judgment, at the left hand — trembling and ruined wit- 
nesses of the awful truth that " God will not be mocked." 



h. AXD R. WILLAN, PKINTEBS, LANCASTER. 



LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 



Adams, John, Esq., Broomsgrove. 
Armstrong, Miss, Lancaster. 
Atkinson, Jas. Esq. Lancaster. 
Atkinson, Miss, Dalton, 3 copies. 
Alison, James, Esq. Cams Lodge. 
Alexander, Mr. Hugh, Lancaster. 
Armstrong, John, Esq. Acrelands. 
Almond, Mr. Richard, Standish. 
Airay, Mr. Richard, Lancaster. 
Armstrong, Richard B. Esq. London. 

Burton, Mrs, Cambridge. 

Burrow, George, Esq. Lancaster, 2 copies. 

Burrow, Miss, Pinner, near London. 

Booker, Josias, Esq. Liverpool, 6 copies. 

Beethom, Rev. John, Lancaster, 2 copies. 

Blackburne, Mr. John, Lancaster, 3 copies. 

Bell, Rev. Samuel, Lancaster. 

Bradshaw, Rev. Wm. Over Kellet, 2 copies. 

Baines, Mrs. M. T. Lancaster. 

Bury, Rev. C. Lancaster. 

Berry, Miss, Lancaster. 

Binns, Mr. Jon., Lancaster. 

Bond, Mr. T. Lancaster. 

Burrow, Mr. W. Lancaster. 

Bentham, Mr. Manchester. 

Brown, Mr. J., Harrowby Green, Carlisle. 

Brandram, Rev. A., London. 

Bower, Mrs. Charles, Bolton-le- Sands. 

Blackburne, Mr. John, Thwaites Mill. 

Briscoe, Rev. Alan, Reading, 2 copies. 

Bickersteth, Rev. Edward, Watton, Herts. 

Bromhall, Mr. John, Birmingham. 

Burrow, Rev. Thomas, Pinner. 

Bell, Joseph, Esq., Hollins, "Whitehaven. 

Bell, Miss Jane, Hollins, Whitehaven. 

Baldwin, Thos. Esq., Lancaster. 

Butcher, Rev. J. H., St. Bees' College. 

Birbeck, Thomas, Esq., Settle. 

Bond, Mr. Thos. Hest Bank, Lancaster. 

Baines, Mr. Thomas, Lancaster. 

Baines, Mr. John, Blackburn. 

Barker, Mr. F., Lancaster. 

Briggs, Mr. T. S., Ulverston. 

Barrow, Mr. C. Lancaster. 

Bailes, Mr. Thomas, Lancaster. 

Bolton, Miss, Lancaster. 

Barrow, Mrs. Jane, Lancaster. 

Brown, Robert, Esq., Preston. 

Barton, Mr. J. G., Ulverston. 

Byles, Messrs. W. & H. B., Bradford, 2 copies. 

Browne, Rev. John T., Wigan. 

Chippendall, Mrs. Elm Bank, Manchester, 3 
copies. 

Crompton, Mrs., Lancaster, 2 copies. 
Clarke, James, Esq., The J^aund, Cockerham. 
Collisson, Rev. M. A., Birmingham. 
Cardwell, Mr. T., Lancaster. 



Carus, Mrs., Lunefield, Kirkby Lonsdale. 

Clark, Rev. Thomas, Preston. 

Carus, Rev. Wm., Cambridge. 

Clark, Mr. Thomas, Carlisle. 

Cousins, Miss Eliz., Lancaster. 

Cooper, Miss, Leicester. 

Casson, Mr. Thomas, Lancaster, 2 copies. 

Clapham, Mrs. Margaret, Quernmoor. 

Cumpsty, Mr. John, Lancaster. 

Callender, W. R. Esq., Manchester. 

Cross, Mr. H., Preston. 

Clark, Mrs. Prestbury, Cheltenham. 

Cook, Mr. Wm., Liverpool, 

Carlisle, Miss, Lancaster. 

Dixon, Rev. Myles, Pontypool. 

Dawson, Edward, Esq. Aldcliffe Hall, 3 copies. 

Davis, Mr. John, Lancaster. 

Dockray, B. Esq. Lancaster. 

Dennison, Mrs., Liverpool, 3 copies. 

Dobinson, Mr., Carlisle. 

Dicken, Rev. C. R., Charterhouse, London. 

Dawes, Miss. E., Liverpool. 

Dunn, Jonathan, Esq., Ryelands, Lancaster. 

Dickinson, Mr. John, Lancaster. 

Danby, Francis B. Esq., Kendal. 

Davis, Mr. Wm., Preston, 2 copies. 

Edmondson, Mr. Samuel, Lancaster. 
Eskrigge, T. Esq., Lancaster. 
Edmondson, Mrs. R., Lancaster. 
Eglin, Mrs., Quernmoor. 
Elsdon, Mr. G., Lancaster. 
Evans, Mr. John, Lancaster. 
Ellerton, Mr., Gardens, Ulverston. 

Fairhurst, Mr. John, Wigan. 

Fawcett, Mr. R., Skerton. 

Forman, Mrs., Swansea, 2 copies. 

Foster, Mr., Kirkby Lonsdale, 2 copies. 

Forbes, Henry, Esq., Bradford, 2 copies. 

Fisher, Miss, Leicester. 

Fallows, Miss, Lancaster. 

Fison, Rev. Wm., Wilby, Norfolk, 4 copies. 

Gell, Rev. Philip, Derby. 

Gunson, Mr. Saml., Lancaster, 2 copies. 

Gawthrop, Mrs., Lune Villa. 

Green, Rev. James, Chapel Wearmouth, 2 copies. 

Greene, Thos. Esq., M. P., \Vhittington Hall. 

Gathorne, Miss, Pinner. 

Gathorne, Miss Mary, Pinner. 

Gathorne, Mr. Richard, Pinner. 

Gathorne, Mr. Henry, Pinner. 

Giles, Thomas, Esq., The Elms, Lancaster, 2 

copies. 
Glasson, Mrs. Lancaster. 
Grant, Mr. Jas., Lancaster. 



2 



Hinde, Miss, Friar street, Lancaster, 5 copies. 4 
Higgin, Rev. Wm., Roscrea, Ireland. 
Housman, Rev. Thos., Fockbury, Worcester- 
shire, 100 copies. 
Higgin, John, Esq., Greenfield. 
Hepworth, Rev. A., Manchester. 
Hodgson, Miss Mary, Liverpool, 2 copies. 
Higgin, John, Jun. Esq. Lancaster, 3 copies. 
Harrison, J. S. Esq., Lancaster. 
Hathornthwaite, Rev. Thos., Lancaster. 
Heaton, Miss, Lancaster. 
Hodgson, Adam, Esq., Everton, Liverpool. 
Hargreaves, Mr. Anthony, Lancaster. 
Holmes, Mr. Henry, Lancaster. 
Hall, Mr. R. Jun., Poulton-le-Fylde. 
Hargreaves, Mr. Jas., Lancaster. 
Hall, Mr. Thomas, Lancaster. 
Hey, Wm. Esq., Leeds. 
Hutton, Mr. J. C, Lancaster, 2 copies. 
Hetherington, Mr. Thos. Carlisle. 
Holmes, Mr. John, Carlisle. 
Holmes, Miss. Eliz., Preston. 
Higgin, Thos. H. Esq., Greenfield, 3 copies. 
Harrison, Mrs., High street, Lancaster. 
Howson, Mr. B., London. 
Hargreaves, Miss, Lancaster. 
Harrison, Mr. John, Lancaster. 
Hadwen, Mr. John, Lancaster. 
Hesketh, Mr. G., Preston. 
Hodgson, Mr. Richard, Lancaster. 
Heaton, Mr. Richard, Lancaster 
Hesketh, Mr. W. T., Manchester. 
Hutton, Mr. Richard, Lancaster. 
Hatton, Mr. G. C, Lancaster. 
Harrison, Miss, Hamilton Square, Woodside. 
Hudson, Mr. T., Liverpool. 
HudsonandNicholson,Messrs. Kendal, 2 copies. 
Hartley, Mr., Bingley. 
Howard, Thos. Esq., Preston. 
Hindle, Mr. Robert, Preston. 
Hodgson, Lieut, R. N., Ulverston. 
Hoare, Rev. E. H., Barkly, Leicester. 
Hall, Mr., Peatling, Leicester. 

Inman, Miss Eliz., Lancaster, 6 copies. 

Inman, Mrs., Lancaster. 

Inman, Richard, Esq., Preston, 4 copies. 

Johnson, C. Esq., Lancaster. 

Jefferson, Mr. E., Lancaster. 

Jackson, Mr. G., Lancaster. 

Jones, Rev. J., Liverpool. 

Johnson, Jas. Esq. M. B., Lancaster, 2 copies. 

Johnson, Miss, Skerton. 

Johnson, Mr. C, Lancaster. 

Johnson, Mr. Edwd., Lancaster. 

Knowlys, T. J., Esq., Heysham. 
Knight, Mr. Robert, Lancaster. 
Kendall, Mr. W., Lancaster. 
Kittson, Mr. Charles, Lancaster. 
Kendall, Mr. Jas., Lancaster. - 



Langshaw, Rev. George, Cambridge. 

Lees, Mr. F. R., Douglas, Isle of Man. 

Leeming, Miss, Lancaster. 

Langshaw, Mr. J. P., Lancaster. 

Lee, Rev. G., Hull. 

Lewthwaite, Miss, Stott Park. 

Leeming, Mr. John, Lancaster. 

Ludlam, Rev. T., Ellington. 

Ludlam, Mrs. Wm., Ellington. 

Levingston, Rev. Charles, Wingham, Kent. 

Lyon, Edmund B. Esq. Rock Ferry, Liverpool, 

5 copies 
Lord, Mr. Jas., Lancaster. 
Lodge, Miss, Lancaster. 
Latham, Mr. Thos., Lancaster. 

Middleton, Mr. Richard, Lancaster, 2 copies. 

Middleton, Mr. John, Lancaster. 

Moon, Mr. James, Lancaster. 

Malley, Mr. Timothy, Lancaster. 

Manby, Rev. John, Vicar of Lancaster. 

Mallinson, Rev. R., Arkholme. 

Moore, Mr. Jno., Lancaster. 

Moore, Rev. Bernard, Staveley, Derbyshire, 3 

copies. 
Mason, Miss, Milnthorpe. 
Mackenzie, Rev. John, Wigan. 
Morland, Rev. G., Lancaster. 
Mansergh, Mr. J. B., Lancaster. 
Malley, Mr. Wm. Jun., Lancaster. 
Milne, Mrs. William, Richmond Green, London. 
Mayer, Miss, Wetherby. 
Miller, Mr. John, Lancaster. 
Maudsley, Mr. Richd., Lancaster. 
Middleton, Mrs., Lancaster. 
Maudsley, Mr. J. J., Lancaster. 
Maudsley, Mr. W., Ulverston. 
Maudsley, Mr. T, Liverpool. 
Moon, Mr. Jas. for St. Anne's S. S. Library. 
Mounsey, J. Esq., Preston. 
Mawdsley, Miss Sarah, Liverpool. 

Nunns, Rev. Thos., Birmingham. 
Noon, Mrs., Lancaster. 
Nicholson, Mr. J. P., Lancaster. 
Nunns, Mrs., Lancaster. 
Nicholson, Mrs., Lancaster. 
Noon, Mr., Lancaster. 

Overend, Mrs., Skerton. 

O'Neill, Rev. H., Dunkerton, Bath. 

Penny, Rev. Edmund, Great Stambridge, Essex. 

Procter, Mr. John, Lancaster. 
Parry, Rev. Mr., Broughton, Chester. 
Pritt, T. Esq., Beaumont Grange, Lancaster. 
Prichard, R. W. Esq., Woodside, 6 copies. 
Parkinson, Mr., Lancaster. 
Piccope, Rev. John, Manchester. 
Pope, Mrs. Joseph, Bolton -le- Moors. 
Puget, Mrs., Totteridge, London. 
Pares, Miss, Derby, 2 copies. 
Pedder, Mrs., Torquay. 



3 



Pollard, Mrs., Yealand. 

Parker, Rev. Joseph, Kensington. 

Prichard, Rev. Richard, Dinam Hall, Anglesea. 

Prichard, Rev. Hugh, Dinam, Anglesea. 

Prichard. Rev. Robert, Rotherfield, Pepperd, 

Oxford. 
Fattison, Mr. T., Lancaster. 
Preston, Mr. S., Lancaster. 

Ross, Mr. S. Lancaster. 
Rylands, Mrs., Warrington 
Rawlinson, Mrs. M., Heysham. 2 copies. 
Rossali, Mrs., Lancaster. 
Ramsay, Mr, A., Lancaster. 
Richardson, Rev. T. 
Raffles, Rev. Dr., Liverpool. 
Redmayne, L. Esq., Maida Hill, London. 
Redhead, Rev. S. Calverley, Leeds. 
Rigg, Rev. J., Preston. 

Salisbury, E. D., Esq., Lancaster. 

Singleton, Miss Ellen, Lancaster. 

Satterthwaite, B. Esq., Lancaster. 

Southworth, Mr. John, Lancaster. 

Scott, Rev. John, Hull. 

Sharpe, Edmund, Esq., Lancaster. 

Statter,Hev. J., Lindale. 

Simpson, Saml.. Esq., Lancaster. 

Shaw, Rev. John, Bengeworth, Worcestershire. 

Shaw, Miss, Lancaster. 

Shackleton, Mr. Thos., Lancaster. 

Stephenson, Mrs , Heysham. 

Sherson, J. H. Esq., Lancaster. 

Stewart, Mrs., Clitheroe. 

Sandwick, Mr. W., Lancaster. 

Swainson, Thos. Esq., Lancaster. 

Simes, Francis, Esq., Bradford. 

Shuttleworth, Miss P., Broughton, Preston. 

Seed, Mrs., Preston. 

Stonard, Rev. Dr., Aldingham Rectory. . 



Thompson, W. Esq., Lancaster 
Threlfall, Miss, Lancaster, 2 copies. 
Taylor, Roger, Esq., Finsthwaite House, Win- 
dermere. 

Taylor, James, Esq., Chorlton-upon-Medlock. 
Thompson, Mrs., Skerton. 
Townley, R. Esq., Ortner. 
Townley, Mr., Lancaster. 
Toulmin, Thomas, Esq., Liverpool, 3 copies. 
Tyson, Mr. S., Ulverston. 
Threlfall, L. Esq., Lancaster. 

Varley, Miss, Barley Bank, Tatham. 
Venn, Rev. H., Highgate, London. 

Wilson, Rev. W. C, Casterton, 5 copies. 
Willan, Rev. Robert, Barnsley, 3 copies. 
Willan, L. Esq., Lancaster, 3 copies. 
Wilson, Mrs.; Rigmaden Park, 3 copies. 
Wane, Mr. John. * 
Walling, Mrs., Yealand Conyers. 
Welch, J. Esq., Lancaster. 
Wheeler, Rev. R. T., Lancaster. - 
Waller, Rev. Bryan, Burton. 
Williams, Mr. John, Liverpool. 
Wynn, Mr. William, Liverpool, 2 copies. 
Whaley, Mr. John, Lancaster. 
Wane, Mr. Jeremiah, Lancaster, 3 copies. 
Ward, Rev. Benjamin, Carlisle. 
Wilcock, Mr. Jas., Lancaster. 
Wilson, W. J. Esq., Manchester. 
Willis, Mr. W. A., Clitheroe. 
Willis, Miss M. A., Knaresboro*. 
Wane, Mr. W. J., Lancaster. 
Warbrick, Mr. James, Lancaster. 
Willasey, Mr. James, Lancaster. 
Wildman, Mr. G., Caton. 

I Yates, Mr. F., Skerton, 2 copies. 



4 1 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: March 2006 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
(724) 779-2111 





DhB 



